Our Patron
Eminent concert pianist, composer, and writer Sir Stephen Hough
We are thrilled that the eminent concert pianist, composer, and writer Sir Stephen Hough has agreed to become our Patron.
Named by The Economist as one of Twenty Living Polymaths, Sir Stephen was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022, the first British classical pianist to be knighted in more than 40 years. Since taking first prize at the 1983 Naumburg Competition in New York, Sir Stephen has appeared with most of the major European, Asian and American orchestras and plays recitals regularly in major halls and concert series around the world from London’s Royal Festival Hall to New York’s Carnegie Hall.
He has made more than 50 recordings, and has regularly delighted audiences in the hall and on TV at the BBC Proms, most recently this year when he performed at the Last Night and gave an impromptu encore of his own piano arrangement of Supercalifragilistic from Mary Poppins. His recording of his own piano concerto, The World of Yesterday, was released on the Hyperion label in February 2025. Stephen is in the process of writing a new piece for the 2026 competition, to be played by all competitors who reach the second stage of the competition.
You can read Sir Stephen’s full biography here.
— Sir Stephen Hough
“I’m very pleased to become Patron of Hastings International Piano. It can truly be daunting for young pianists reaching the end of their studies to look ahead to the possibility of a concert life bringing music to audiences across the world. ‘How do I start?’ ‘Where do I go?’ A competition can be a vital step in this process: a chance to be heard outside the conservatory walls and, for those who win a prize, the beginning of a diary of concert engagements. It's not so much about ranking who is the best, as in a sports event; it's more like discovering which of the young pianists we might want to hear again …and again, over a lifetime.”
HIP Patron Sir Stephen Hough gives his thoughts on piano competitions.
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