Hastings International Piano Competition 2026 competitors
HIPC is a biennial classical piano contest held in Hastings, a seaside town in the south of England, with a long history dating back to the early 20th century through the Hastings Musical Festival. Piano luminaries such as Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein and Sergei Rachmaninoff performed at the White Rock Theatre in the 1930s. Previous festival adjudicators include Lady Barbirolli and composer Ruth Gipps.
The competition was revived in 2005 as the Hastings International Piano Competition, and over the last twenty years it has grown into an internationally recognised showcase, drawing young concert pianists from around the world who have the opportunity to perform with leading UK orchestras, such as the Royal Philharmonic and Sinfonia Smith Square. The competition is unique in that participants are required to perform movements from a piano concerto (accompanied by another pianist) from the very first round. Those competitors who progress to Round 2 will give a solo performance of 30-35 minutes, which must include a new piece commissioned especially for the competition by pianist and composer Sir Stephen Hough.
Sir Stephen Hough
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a composer to hear a piece played many times and brought to life under many different hands. I simply want to write something which younger colleagues want to play – not so much a test piece as one which they will enjoy performing beyond the competition.” – Sir Stephen Hough, patron of HIPC
Vanessa Latarche
“There’s not a composer alive who understands the instrument better than Stephen, after all, and it will be fascinating to hear twenty different interpretations of the piece during the competition….” – Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director
(Test piece for 2024 competition) Chengyao Zhou – ‘Time Unredeemable’ by Lera Auerbach
Chosen by an experienced pre-selection jury, who watched video auditions of 356 applicants from 46 countries, the 40 selected pianists – aged between 19 and 29 – will travel from 18 nations to compete in one of the world’s leading competitions for rising stars. They will be judged by, amongst others, Jean-Paul Gasparian, Scott Dunn, Boris Slutsky and Professor Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director (since 2020) and Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, London. Previous prize winners include Curtis Phill Hsu, Roman Kosyakov, and Kenneth Broberg.
2024 Competition FINAL – Curtis Phill Hsu
Interlude spoke to Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director of HIPC, about the pleasures and challenges of managing an international piano competition, and what she and her fellow jurors are looking forward to in this year’s competition:
‘The pleasures include hearing fabulous music played by young people who are at the very top of their game, working with distinguished colleagues and the HIPC team to support young musicians. It is a particular pleasure to work with Steinway & Sons, who provide and prepare the beautiful instruments for the competition and look after them carefully throughout. We’re also very lucky to work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – it’s such a draw for the young pianists who reach the finals to be able to perform with one of the world’s truly great orchestras.
The challenges are many, including fundraising, audience building and logistics of arrangements in the seaside town of Hastings on the south coast of England.
We’re looking forward to hearing the array of talent we have, to hearing so many piano concertos with both orchestras and to hearing how the competitors handle the Stephen Hough piece and how they plan their programmes. And of course, to finding worthy winners who we will support long after the competition with engagements, mentoring and advice – we look forward to seeing them flourish!’
HIPC offers a prize package worth approximately £35,000, which includes career development opportunities, professional engagements (such as a recital at London’s Wigmore Hall and a concert with the Royal Philharmonic), and mentoring support. The competition is generously supported by Steinway & Sons and numerous sponsors and benefactors, including the Kowitz Family Foundation, which has supported the competition since 2009.
HIPC Music in the Meadow
Beyond the main competition, Hastings International Piano engages in education outreach and community activities through its Learning & Participation programme, bringing classical music to all – from school workshops and community concerts to pop-up pianos across the town and free tickets to the competition for community groups. For aspiring pianists of any age or ability level, Music in the Meadow is an opportunity to showcase the musical talents of the people of Hastings. A grand piano is installed in the Priory Meadow shopping centre, giving everyone the chance to play.
The competition opens on 26 February, and all initial rounds are free for the public to watch.
Find out more at https://hastingsinternationalpiano.org/.
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