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About

Hastings International Piano

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Person playing a grand piano on stage with a microphone nearby.

The Competition

Hastings International Piano is committed to nurturing musical talent and ensuring that musical opportunities are available to everyone.

We promote the biennial Hastings International Piano Competition which is now considered to be one of the top piano competitions in the world, as well as offering performance opportunities to young artists year-round, working tirelessly in our community, and aiming to give every child in Hastings the gift of music through our schools’ programme.

Orchestra musicians seated on stage with string instruments, some smiling, surrounded by music stands and a grand piano.

Our Roots

The competition was revived in 2005, but our roots go back more than a century to the Hastings Musical Festival which has been taking place in Hastings since 1908.

In recent years the competition has evolved into an internationally-renowned platform for young concert pianists from around the world particularly because it is one of the only international competitions that asks competitors to play complete concertos from the first round. In recent years our reputation has grown steadily and we now enjoy a partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

A young girl in a pink sweater playing a grand piano in a busy shopping mall.

Beyond the Competition

As well as the piano competition, we also run a Learning & Participation programme and promote other events such as an annual Gala concert (featuring winners from the competition).

In 2020, we mounted the Hastings International Piano Festival, a multi-genre celebration of the piano involving pop, classical, jazz and contemporary musicians and singer/songwriters. We produce world-class concerts while maintaining a focus on engaging with and giving learning opportunities to young people.