'The Leeds' expands

The Leeds International Piano Competition is gearing up for 2018, and applications have recently opened for next year's competition. Under its new artistic directors Paul Lewis and Adam Gatehouse, 'The Leeds' has announced some interesting developments. There will be a new Leeds Piano Festival to complement the competition. The festival takes place over eight days in May 2018 in Leeds and in London, and will include a major partnership with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.


The festival will feature performances by past winners and alumni of the competition including Lars Vogt, Alessio Bax and Sunwook Kim. In addition, three of the Lang Lang Young Scholars – young pianists aged under 16 from around the world, selected and mentored by Lang Lang – will give a recital in Leeds as part of the new Leeds Piano Festival. They will also be involved in learning and engagement work in the Leeds and Yorkshire area, as well as London in collaboration with Wigmore Hall’s Learning programme.

The Leeds Piano Festival runs from 14 to 22 May 2018. Online applications for the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition opened on 1 June 2017 and close 31 October 2017. The 2018 Competition will run from 6 – 15 September in Leeds, with First Rounds in Berlin, Singapore and New York in April 2018. Full details from the festival website.