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Repertoire

Pianist playing a grand piano in a concert setting

Preliminary Video Auditions  

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  • Preliminary audition should be solo repertoire of two or more contrasting pieces from different periods. Performance time must be between 25 and 30 minutes. None of this repertoire may be repeated in the second stage of the competition.  

  • Your video recording must be recorded and dated after 1 April 2025. You will need to upload your video audition to your own DropBox folder and paste the link in your application.  

  • Please include full details of your audition repertoire with full details and timings. All works must have their Number/Title, opus numbers or other classifications, movements and timings.

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Stage 1 - Concertos  

In Stage 1, competitors will perform a maximum of 28 minutes, including breaks and pauses, structured as follows:

  • Up to 14 minutes from a concerto in List A

  • Up to 14 minutes from a concerto in List B

Performances may include complete movements or excerpts, but both concertos must be represented.

The Jury may request specific sections from either concerto and has the discretion to stop any performance that exceeds the time limit.

This stage will be performed on two pianos.

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    • Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor Op 37  

    • Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Op 58 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat major K 271 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor K 466 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 21 in C major K 467 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto  No 22 in E flat major K 482 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 23 in A major K 488 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor K 491 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 26 in D major K 537 

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat major K 595 

    • Béla Bartók Piano Concerto No 3 in E major Sz 119 BB 127 

    • Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major Op 7 

    • Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor Op15  

    • George Gershwin Piano Concerto in F major 

    • Edvard Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16  

    • Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat major S 124 

    • Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No 2 in A major S 125 

    • Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor Op 16 

    • Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 in C major Op 26  

    • Florence Price Piano Concerto in D minor  

    • Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor Op 1 

    • Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 18 

    • Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30 

    • Sergei Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op 43  

    • Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in G major 

    • Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor Op 22  

    • Clara Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor Op 7 

    • Robert Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor Op 54 

    • Alexander Scriabin Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor Op 20  

    • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 in B flat minor Op 23  

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Stage 2 - Solo Recital  

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  • The 20 competitors who reach Stage 2 of the competition will be asked to give a solo repertoire performance of between 30 and 35 minutes including breaks and pauses, to include a mandatory piece of approximately 5 minutes in length. 

  • At least two composers must be represented from two different periods, excluding the mandatory piece. 

  • Concertos are not to be played and repertoire must differ from that presented in the video audition. 

  • Mandatory piece - we have commissioned a new solo piano work by Stephen Hough of approximately 5 minutes in length. This will be issued to competitors when entry to the competition is confirmed.  

  • The jury will be taking your programming into consideration, so please consider this when choosing your performance order. 

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Semi Final Stage - Concertos  

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The 10 competitors who reach the semi-finals will be asked to give a complete performance of their List A concerto choice with Sinfonia Smith Square. This will be the same concerto from List A played in Stage 1. 

Final Stage - Concertos  

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The five finalists will give a complete performance of their List B concerto choice with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  This will be the same concerto from List B played in Stage 1.

2026 Competition

26 February — 7 March

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