18th Hastings International Piano Competition
📅 Thursday 26 February - Saturday 7 March 2026
Location: White Rock Theatre, Hastings
The Hastings International Piano Competition is back!
40 of the world’s best young concert pianists aged between 16 and 30 will converge on Hastings next spring to compete for a title that could launch their careers. Now regarded as one of the best piano competitions anywhere, on a par with the Leeds, Van Cliburn and Chopin competitions, we’re proud to bring this international event to Hastings, once again in partnership with the iconic piano brand, Steinway & Sons.
Accompanied by Sinfonia Smith Square in the semi-finals and the full forces of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the finals, and led by the eminent British conductor Martyn Brabbins, these virtuosic young musicians will simply take your breath away as they perform some of the greatest music for piano ever written. And you can catch every note, in person or online, right from the first round.
General booking opens on Saturday 27 September. We will post a link to the booking page on that day.
Above: The finalists of the 2024 competition. From left to right: Derek Wang (4th place), Curtis Phill Hsu (1st place), Harmony Zhu (2nd place), Hyelim Kim (5th place), Chengyao Zhou (3rd place).
Round One
40 pianists each perform extracts from a classical and a romantic concerto, accompanied by another pianist.
Round Two
20 pianists devise and perform a short solo recital, to include a new work by our patron, Sir Stephen Hough.
Semi-finals
The 10 competitors who reach the semi-finals perform a complete classical concerto with a young orchestra, Sinfonia Smith Square.
The Finals
The five finalists have the chance to perform a Romantic or twentieth century concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
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General Booking for all rounds of the competition will open on Saturday 27 September.
Rounds One and Two:
Day passes for all sessions in these rounds are free, but please book in the normal way. Pass holders may come and go as they please.
Semi-finals:
£20.25, £14.75, £12, £9.80 (restricted view)
Finals:
£35.65, £28..50, £22.45, £17.50 (restricted view)
Please note: all prices include the theatre’s commission and a levy of £1 on each ticket sold which goes towards the restoration of the theatre. An additional processing fee is added by the White Rock Theatre for online sales - it does not apply to tickets bought in person from the box office.
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EARLY BIRD OFFER
Book before midnight on Friday 10th October 2025 and receive an extra £5 off a ticket for the finals or £3 for the semi finals (top band only). This may be combined with a multibuy discount.
MULTIBUY DISCOUNTS
Buy a top-price ticket for any two performances and get 10% off.
Buy a top-price ticket for any three performances and get 15% off.
Buy a top-price ticket for all five performances and get 20% off.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Children and young people aged 18 and under go free when accompanied by someone paying full-price.
Please note: all prices include the theatre’s commission and a levy of £1 on each ticket sold which goes towards the restoration of the theatre. An additional processing fee is added by the White Rock Theatre for online sales - it does not apply to tickets bought in person from the box office.
Discounts will automatically be applied by the box office when you select these options.
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Round One:
Thursday 26 February
Friday 27 February
Saturday 28 February
Sessions start at approximately 10am, 11:50am, 2:30pm, 4:20pm and 6:30pm.
Round Two:
Sunday 1 March
Monday 2 March
Sessions start at approximately 10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm and 5:45pm.
Semi-Finals:
Wednesday 4 March, 2:30pm & 6:00pm
Thursday 5 March, 7:00pm
Finals:
Friday 6 March, 7:00pm
Saturday 7 March, 6:00pm
