Leeds International Piano Competition gears up for bright young pianists to wow city

Ulrich Gerhartz, Director Concert & Artist Services for Steinway & Sons, with Adam Gatehouse, Artistic Director, for The Leeds International Piano Competition, and Fiona Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of The Leeds International Piano Competition, on stage at the Great Hall of Leeds Univeristy in preparation for the start of the competition
Photo: James Hardisty — Ulrich Gerhartz, Director Concert & Artist Services for Steinway & Sons, with Adam Gatehouse, Artistic Director, for The Leeds International Piano Competition, and Fiona Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of The Leeds International Piano Competition, on stage at the Great Hall of Leeds Univeristy in preparation for the start of the competition Photo: James Hardisty

Since the last festival in 2018, musicians have faced an uphill battle to fight for their livelihoods as the coronavirus pandemic put paid to virtually all live performances.

So the return of some of the brightest prospects in the classical music world to play at the city’s most beautiful venues is a welcome return to something more like normality, explained the chief executive of the Festival, Fiona Sinclair.

“It’s been the worst possible time for artists,” she said, “All the stuff that helps you move forward in your career has just stopped. They’ve just had a massive financial hit, and that’s been particularly cruel on young artists to miss opportunities.

“Lots of other competitions had cancelled or deferred to play it safe. That was absolutely not going to happen.”

Some 24 competitors from around the world have now returned to Leeds for the second round of the competition, which begins today.

The first round of the competition took place internationally, with 17 locations used for filming performances behind closed doors.

But second-round entrants, all aged 20-29 have had to face challenges including quarantine to be able to participate in the festival as they journeyed to Leeds from, among other countries, the USA, Japan and Iran.

Ms Sinclair said yesterday: “Monday was the registration day for competitors, we had a draw and it’s really important they’re all there. But we’ve had one who was in Norway and was told he’d had the wrong vaccine – he had to go eight hours back home to Sweden, and he’s coming back today at great expense.

“That’s been really nailbiting. And we’ve had four competitors who have had to quarantine as they’ve not been able to get fully vaccinated.

“But they’ve been treated with pure Yorkshire hospitality – they all arrived on a Sunday and had roast beef with Yorkshire puddings.”

There won’t be much time for relaxing for the entrants over the coming weeks as the competition sees them play in individual and collaborative rounds, featuring solo work, chamber music performances.

A concerto finale at Leeds Town Hall with the world-renowned Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will see the winner announced on September 18.

But before then the Festival will pay a poignant tribute to its founder, Dame Fanny Waterman, who died last year in Ilkley at the age of 100.

A memorial concert featuring the 2018 winner, Eric Lu, will take place on September 16.

Ms Sinclair said: “It’s going to be a really special evening.”

Leeds International Piano Competition was first held in 1963, after being founded by Dame Fanny Waterman, Roslyn Lyons and Marion, Countess of Harewood. Dame Fanny retained a lifelong connection to the festival and was chief of the jury until 2015.

Since its inception the competition has helped launch the international careers of pianists including Radu Lupu who won the prize in 1969, and Murray Perahia who triumphed in 1972.