Pianos pop up in Leeds city centre

DOZENS of brightly-decorated pianos are popping up across Leeds as the city tunes up for one of its biggest music competitions.
Nicholas McCarthy entertaining crowds at the Victoria Quarter, Leeds.Nicholas McCarthy entertaining crowds at the Victoria Quarter, Leeds.
Nicholas McCarthy entertaining crowds at the Victoria Quarter, Leeds.

The Leeds International Piano Competition, which has teamed up with the YEP, is now in its 50th year and starts on August 26.

To get music-lovers in the mood for the annual competition, arts groups from across the city have decorated a dozen pianos and placed them around the city centre.

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The pianos are on display at sites including Trinity Leeds, City Square and the Victoria Quarter, and will be available for three weeks as part of the ‘Me and my Piano’ project.

Members of the public are encouraged to play the pianos and can play excerpts from best-selling tuition book Me And My Piano, co-written by the competition’s founder Dame Fanny Waterman.

They can then share their performances via social media using the hashtag #meandmypiano.

Leeds’ prestigious piano competition will see almost 80 of the world’s top young pianists from 19 nations perform at the University of Leeds’s Great Hall from August 26 to September 8.

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Chinese superstar pianist Lang Lang and 2012 competition winner Federico Colli will perform at Leeds Town Hall on September 9 and the finals take place at Leeds Town Hall on September 11 and 12, with a gala finale on September 13.

Sir Alan Langlands, University of Leeds vice-chancellor, said: “The competition is a splendid international showcase for the city, for Yorkshire and the country as a whole.

“It is also a source of inspiration for our students to have such a prestigious event on their doorstep.”

For more information, visit www.meandmypiano.co.uk.