Hastings International Piano, the charity responsible for the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition and the Hastings International Piano Festival is delighted to announce a new partnership with iconic piano maker Steinway & Sons for the 2021 Concerto Competition in the historic town on England’s South Coast.

The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition is an internationally renowned biennial competition for young concert pianists from around the world, attracting 170 applicants in 2019 from across the globe, 40 of which came to compete in Hastings during February and March. Their prize: the opportunity to perform with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a two-night final and to win a first prize of £15,000.

The next competition dates are now confirmed to be the 17th – 26th June 2021 with successful entrants being selected from video auditions by a panel appointed by our President of the Jury Professor Vanessa Latarche, who is Head of Keyboard at The Royal College of Music in London.

Professor Latarche joined the competition team earlier this year to curate the 2021 competition, oversee the audition process, as well as to preside over the international jury who she has invited to join her in Hastings next summer.

Professor Vanessa Latarche says – “I am delighted that we have managed to re-schedule the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition to June 2021. So many of the world’s musicians have had disappointment due to cancellations of events since Covid-19 began. Although they have become very adept at finding other ways of working, especially by video and streaming through social media, nothing replaces the thrill of live performance both for the artists, and the audience. The competition will provide a beacon of light for these young pianists to work towards, performing live, both solo and with orchestras to our audiences and my distinguished jury colleagues. I am thrilled to be working with Ian Roberts and the competition team to give the musicians these opportunities, and I look forward very much to welcoming them to Hastings, and to hearing them play in person in the summer.”

Managing Director of Hastings International Piano Ian Roberts says – “We are delighted that we have the opportunity to work closely with our esteemed colleagues and friends at Steinway and Sons in the lead up to and during our 2021 competition. Moving our competition dates to June 2021 enables us to provide a safe and secure platform for our young pianists to compete on, whilst protecting our audiences and family of volunteers, who give us their un-wavering support during each competition. During the June edition of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, we will provide enhanced performance opportunities for our pianists, including orchestral opportunities in both the semi-final and final rounds. Our partnership with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continues in 2021 and we look forward to announcing further news about our exciting competition changes in the coming weeks.”

Hastings International Piano is delighted to also announce today that our new media sponsor for the next competition is International Piano Magazine, a perfect partner for our competition offering a rich mix of inspiration and guidance to pianists and piano fans around the world, from dedicated amateurs and students to professional pianists, teachers and aficionados. 

The next edition of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition takes place in the cultural hub of Hastings, on England’s historic south coast from the 17th-26th June of 2021.

Find out more and enter the 2021 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition HERE