THE LEEDS LAUNCHES BOLD NEW CHAPTER FOR 2027 AS SIR STEPHEN HOUGH IS ANNOUNCED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHAIR OF JURY
· Sir Stephen leads significant artistic reforms as ‘The Leeds’ reimagines what an international music competition can be
· Renewed focus on finding exceptional artists and allowing competitors to express individuality and imagination
· World-class international jury comprises leading pianists Piotr Anderszewski, Lucas Debargue, Janina Fialkowska, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Sir Stephen Hough (Chair), Orli Shaham, Yeol Eum Son, Kathryn Stott, as well as Master of the King’s Music, composer Errollyn Wallen
· Competitors free to choose the music they wish to perform throughout for the first time
· Upper age limit increased to 35
· Enhanced career support package for prize winners
· New prizes for outstanding encores and a community-focussed project
· Applications for 2027 Competition open on 2 July 2026
The Leeds International Piano Competition today [2 July 2026] launches a bold new chapter with the appointment of one of the world’s most esteemed artists, British pianist Sir Stephen Hough, as Artistic Director and Chair of the Jury for 2027 as it opens applications for the next Competition.
Widely recognised as one of the most distinctive musical voices of his generation and acclaimed as a concert pianist, composer and writer, Sir Stephen brings the imagination and breadth of thinking that underpin a refreshed vision for The Leeds 2027. The Competition culminates in Leeds in September 2027 for the Second Round and Semi-Finals at the Great Hall of the University of Leeds and the Concerto Finals at Leeds Town Hall, following International First Rounds in Spring.
Sir Stephen has worked closely with the Competition to shape the most significant artistic reforms in its recent history, redefining what an international music competition can be in the twenty-first century. These changes reflect the Competition’s commitment to discovering exceptional artists, while shifting the emphasis away from testing competitors and towards showing the world who they truly are.
Sir Stephen Hough, Artistic Director and Chair of the Jury of The Leeds International Piano Competition, said: “From my childhood I was in awe of The Leeds. For this young pianist it was both exciting and an unattainable goal as the whole nation sat glued to the television – not for the Wimbledon or World Cup finals but to witness the finest piano playing. Now, some 50 years later, I’m honoured to be part of The Leeds’ reimagining.
What is a Competition for? For me it should not be like being at the Colosseum watching gladiators knock each other out. Rather, I wanted to create a situation where the most talented, imaginative young pianists are given a platform to show us who they are and what music they love. In an age when the concert experience competes with innumerable entertainment and cultural options, we want to discover artists who can captivate the jurors and the audience over the course of an evening – and make us come back for more, for decades.”
Fiona Sinclair, CEO of The Leeds International Piano Competition, said: “Sir Stephen’s appointment and our refreshed thinking for the next Competition signal both our artistic ambition and a willingness to challenge long-held assumptions about competition design. Leeds 2027 represents a defining moment for the Competition.
“Working in partnership with Stephen, we have reflected on the role of international competitions today and how they can best serve artists in a changing musical landscape. The result is a Competition designed not simply to test pianists, but to discover distinctive artistic voices — creating space for individuality, imagination and authenticity, while providing meaningful support for artists beyond the Competition itself. This is about shaping a future in which The Leeds continues to set the standard for artistic excellence and remains a platform where artists can build lasting careers.”
New for 2027:
- No prescribed repertoire requirements for the first time in the Competition’s history, with competitors free to choose the music they wish to perform
- Age limit raised to 35, acknowledging that artists develop at different rates
- Redesign of the prize package to place greater emphasis on tailored, long-term career support, including:
- an increased First Prize (£50,000)
- the continuation of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Award for Contemporary Music, which has supported recent commissions and recordings for Leeds Prize-winners by Eleanor Alberga and Errollyn Wallen
- a new Prize-Winners Circle Award — a dedicated career development fund for the Gold Medallist, supported by lead donors to The Leeds
- Introduction of new awards including an Encore Prize and The Leeds Piano Trail Prize for a compelling vision for a community-focused artistic project to be developed and delivered in 2028
By giving competitors complete freedom over repertoire, the Competition provides a platform for them to play to their strengths and show a more personal authentic picture of who they are as artists, offering audiences and jurors a deeper understanding of the artist behind the performance.
While maintaining the highest artistic standards for which The Leeds is renowned, this approach opens the door to more diverse repertoire, including works not previously performed at the Competition.
Sir Stephen has brought together a world-class international jury for the 2027 Competition. It includes fellow pianists Piotr Anderszewski, Lucas Debargue, Janina Fialkowska, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Orli Shaham, Yeol Eum Son and previous Leeds prize-winner Kathryn Stott, as well as Master of the King’s Music, composer Errollyn Wallen.
The prize package of The Leeds is already one of the most comprehensive of any music competition, with representation and management, recording deals, concert tours, coaching opportunities and more offered with a wide range of partners including Askonas Holt, Warner Classics and Steinway & Sons. Now, in addition to this, the value of First Prize rises to £50,000 and the Competition is developing a new Prize-Winners’ Circle Award that will facilitate tailored support to the individual artist’s needs and stage of career development, identifying where support could have the greatest impact.
There will also be new opportunities for more competitors to win recognition in 2027 with a broader range of prizes than ever before. These include a new Encore Prize, celebrating imagination, communication and artistic individuality; and a Leeds Piano Trail Prize, awarded for a compelling vision for a community-focused artistic project.
The Leeds Piano Trail Prize reflects the Competition’s commitment to connecting the internationally recognised event with its home city. Building on the success of initiatives as the Leeds Piano Trail – more than 35 public pianos around the city – and a growing programme of community activity, the prize will support a winner to develop and deliver an ambitious, community-focussed project as part of World Piano Day 2028. In doing so, it aims to create meaningful engagement between international artists and local audiences, celebrating the piano in ways that are both imaginative and widely accessible.
These new Awards add to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society’s prize for Contemporary Music, which has resulted in the Orchestra making two commissions by leading British composers – Errollyn Wallen and Eleanor Alberga – adding to the repertoire of great British piano music and giving more artists more ways to shine than ever.
The Leeds remains dedicated to equity, inclusivity and ensuring that the Competition is as fair as possible. Established initiatives such as anonymous selection and unconscious bias training for jurors will continue. Raising the upper age limit to 35 – one of the highest age limits of any music competition – also acknowledges that artists mature at different rates and stages of their career and removes a further barrier to entry.
The Leeds International Piano Competition is renowned as one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music, and since its inception in 1963 has been a trailblazer among international music competitions and has helped shape the world of classical piano.
Previous prize winners include some of the world’s most celebrated pianists such as Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu, Mitsuko Uchida, Sir András Schiff and recently Alim Beisembayev, Eric Lu and Jaeden Izik-Dzurko. A striking example of the “poets of the piano” that Leeds is known for discovering, Izik-Dzurko took the Gold Medal in 2024 – the culmination of a remarkable run of honours that also included the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship earlier that year. He has since recorded for Steinway & Sons and Naxos, and will release his first disc for Warner Classics in 2027.
Applications for the 2027 Competition will open via The Leeds International Piano Competition website at 13:00 BST, Thursday 2 July 2026. The International First Rounds take place in New York, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Beijing and Seoul between 30 March and 6 April 2027, before the Competition returns to The Great Hall of the University of Leeds for the Second Round (8-10 September 2027) and Semi-Finals (12-14 September 2027). The Concerto Finals return to Leeds Town Hall on 17 and 18 September, with the finalists performing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, with its Principal Conductor, Domingo Hindoyan.