Hastings International Piano, the charity responsible for the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition and the Hastings International Piano Festival is delighted to announce a one-day Digital Festival on Friday 13th November from 2-8pm.

The festival supported by Arts Council England and in association with our new partner Steinway and Sons is an online initiative designed to educate and inspire the next generation of pianists, young artists and industry professionals, who will have the opportunity to enjoy special performances and Q&A’s from award winning artists including Grammy nominated composer and singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright and BBC Young Musician of The Year and Cleveland Piano Competition Winner Martin James Bartlett.

During the festival, tickets will also enable you to stream a piano masterclass with Professor Vanessa Latarche, the Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music and President of the Jury at Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. There will be an industry panel discussing important topics of conversation, offering advice to artists and industry professionals with guests including The Managing Director of Steinway Craig Terry, as well as a recital performance by Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition prizewinner Maxim Kinasov.

The festival Keynote speaker is Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, the broadcaster and founder of Chineke! Orchestra, who will speak about diversity in the arts and her own experiences that have shaped her career and her success in founding a flourishing new orchestra.

Headlining the festival will be Rufus Wainwright, one of the most revered artists of his generation and a hugely inspirational figure in the music world.  This very special ‘In conversation with’ event will combine an interview by Gill Graham, Creative Director Wise Music Publishing and live performances of songs from his latest album ‘Unfollow the Rules’.

Says Rufus Wainwright “My appearance at the Hastings Piano Festival earlier this year happened to be my last live performance with an audience before the lock down. But it is not only special to me because of that but mainly because there are few festivals that celebrate music, artists and audiences in a more intimate and personal way. I am proud to be back, sadly only virtually because I was truly smitten by the beauty of East Sussex”.

Hastings International Piano Digital Festival will continue the organisation’s ongoing support of young people from the town and south coast region by offering free access to schools and youth organisations, so that they can learn and engage with revered artists and industry experts, even though the Pandemic continues to prevent ongoing face to face learning opportunities.

Managing Director of Hastings International Piano – Ian Roberts says “After the success of our inaugural piano festival in February and March of this year, life changed for us all with little or no live performances at concert halls and venues around the globe. Musician’s work dried up and so many musicians feel forgotten about. Our on-line concert series was a pioneering series that ran for 20 weeks and programmed concerts from many of our prizewinners at the concerto competition.

As we look forward to our next competition, which has been rescheduled to June of 2021, we decided that as an organisation we must continue to inspire both our artists of tomorrow and our loyal and wider audiences, who have come to expect exciting and innovative events whether they are on-line or with live audiences.

Our Digital Festival in November offers a unique concert experience for audiences and offers insight into the music industry whether you are a performer, or potential industry leader.”

Hastings International Piano Digital Festival will be streamed from 2-8pm on Friday 13th November.

Tickets are £10 and can be purchased HERE

Festival Programme:

2pm – Professor Vanessa Latarche Masterclass

3pm – Maxim Kinasov piano recital

4pm – Industry Panel discussion led by Gill Graham

5pm – Martin James Bartlett piano recital

6pm – Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE Keynote speech

7pm – Rufus Wainwright Q&A and performance