Skaters gather in Millennium Square in Leeds, taking turns launching off jumps that rise from the smooth paving. One skater expertly makes contact with the wooden surface, pushing forward into a clean finish. His friend, however, experiences a mishap; mid-ascent, the wheels clip the frame, resulting in an awkward dismount. Laughter follows as he collects his pride and readies for another attempt. This isn’t your typical skate park—here, half-pipes are ingeniously constructed from upright pianos, cut at angles and seemingly embedded in the ground by a giant foot.
The surreal Sinking Pianos sculpture is part of a series created for the Leeds International Piano Competition. Nearby, a massive split ivory plinth stands outside the Leeds City Museum. Adjacent to it is a bike rack fashioned from piano ribs, along with an upright piano that has been repurposed into a whimsical planter.
There are no signs prohibiting passersby from touching—or skating on—the instruments along the piano trail. The collection, dispersed throughout the city, encourages interaction due to the tactile nature of its materials. Although producing traditional sounds might be a challenge (the marimba piano uses the instrument’s interior parts for percussion), all pianos in this extensive project were diverted from landfills.
Inside a cozy nook at the Leeds Museum, I hang my jacket on a coat hook that turns out to be a repurposed piano wheel. This is part of dozens of instruments featured in the 100-seat Pianodrome Theatre. Within the display are three functional pianos and a beautiful Steinway, which will be played tonight by Lucy Parham, accompanied by narration from Succession star Dame Harriet Walter. Parham will reprise her show, I, Clara, about Clara Schumann, which is set to be performed at London’s Bechstein Hall on November 9 and 10, and Surrey’s Menuhin Hall on November 14.
Parham also has additional responsibilities while in town, joining several world-class pianists supporting the competition. Established in 1963 by Fanny Waterman and Marion Harewood, this event has significantly advanced the careers of many renowned pianists, including Radu Lupu, who won in 1969, and more recently, Federico Colli in 2012. Historical footage of piano legends during their formative years is available in The Leeds archive, which garnered over 2.4 million views in 2023. The rigorous rounds of the competition occur every three years, with the finals traditionally hosted in Leeds Town Hall. This year’s finalists performed at St George’s Hall in Bradford while the town hall undergoes renovations.
Waterman and Harewood’s competition has put Leeds on the map, making it synonymous with piano competitions much like Sheffield is with snooker championships. The world’s top musicians travel from far and wide to compete, all vying for the prestigious prizes. Following a piano accompanied by a (silent) loudspeaker to a shed constructed from piano materials—where freshers posed for social media-worthy photos—I attended the early rounds at the University of Leeds.
The performances were of remarkably high caliber (you can listen to them on the competition’s YouTube channel, with the semi-finals and finals broadcasted on BBC Radio 3, presented by Parham and Andrew McGregor). Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko took home the £30,000 cash prize and the Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medal, and he will return to Leeds on February 11 for a celebratory recital. Like the skaters, the other competitors will dust themselves off and continue playing, perhaps aiming for another chance in 2027.
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