The Leeds International Piano Competition has revealed the five pianists advancing to the Concerto Finals of the 2024 competition. These talented musicians will vie for one of the most prestigious accolades in classical music.
The five finalists competing in the Concerto Finals are:
Kai-Min Chang (Taiwan)
Junyan Chen (China)
Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (Canada)
Khanh Nhi Luong (Vietnam)
Julian Trevelyan (United Kingdom)
These pianists will perform concertos with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan, on September 20 and 21. This year, the Finals will be held at the historic St George’s Hall in Bradford, due to renovations at Leeds Town Hall. Bradford’s venue is renowned for its superb ‘shoebox’ acoustic and will also highlight Bradford’s designation as the ‘UK City of Culture 2025’.
The winner of the First Prize and Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medal will receive £30,000 in cash, concerto engagements with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (including a reprise of their winning performance at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music on September 22), a Wigmore Hall debut, UK recitals, international tours with Steinway Prize Winner Concerts Network and Global Music Network, and more.
Second and Third Prize winners will also be awarded substantial cash prizes, concert engagements, and additional benefits. All competitors will gain valuable career-development advice through the Leeds’ innovative Competitor+ programme. Additionally, one of the top three prize winners will receive a debut recording with Warner Classics and worldwide management with Askonas Holt.
The winners will join a prestigious list of past medallists, including Alessio Bax, Federico Colli, Sunwook Kim, Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, and Mitsuko Uchida. Recent Gold Medallists Alim Beisembayev (2021) and Eric Lu (2018) have become prominent international figures in classical music.
Other awards announced at the Finals will include the inaugural Alexandra Dariescu Award, given for an outstanding performance of a work by a female composer from any round of the competition. The medici.tv Audience Prize, the only award decided by public vote, will also be presented. Online viewers can vote for any pianist from the Second Round to the Finals, with the winner receiving a future broadcast performance on the platform. Additionally, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Award will be given to the competitor who best communicates contemporary music, resulting in the commissioning of a new work for that competitor to perform in a future Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society series.
