Chinese talent strikes a chord on the world stage

The boss of one of the world's most prestigious piano competitions says she hopes changes to the entry requirements for its next staging will unleash a new wave of creativity and artistry among entrants — and keep up its significant cohort of contestants from China.

Entries are now being accepted for next year's staging of the Leeds International Piano Competition, which features global qualifying rounds in the spring held in Beijing, New York, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Seoul, before contestants are whittled down for the later rounds and finals, held in the northern English city, in September 2027.

The competition's history stretches back to 1963, with former winners including Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu, and in recent years Chinese entrants have made an ever-growing impact, finishing in higher places, with Chen Junyan's second place overall last time out being the country's best placing yet.

"In 2024, our last edition, one-third of applicants were from China," Fiona Sinclair, the competition's CEO, told China Daily.

"We host our first rounds at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where we always have such a warm welcome whenever we go – there's a huge amount of talent there, so we are delighted that it's a strong part of our competitive cohort."

Next year's competition will see the age limit for entrants raised to 35, and also performers will have total freedom to choose what to play. "The range of repertoire will be mindboggling … and I think we will see people's personality come through even more, so we're in for a real treat," she added.

"We wanted to rethink what artistry means in the context of competition, because very often competitions are set up as tests…  we recognize that's not the best environment for artistry to truly thrive.

"We like finding amazing talent and helping that talent develop. It's really important that we're there for the journey, because a competition is just one moment, and there's more to a musical life than just a competition.

"We've raised the age limit in recognition that artistry sometimes takes time to develop, and we've given the artists complete freedom of repertoire … to feel free and supported to express what they really believe."

Shanghai-born Chen Junyan performed at the 2027 competition's launch event at the Steinway Hall in central London, not far from her previous place of study, the Royal Academy of Music.

She told China Daily she rarely enters competitions, but the Leeds had come along at exactly the right time after she graduated, and has given her fledgling career a huge boost.

"When I was younger, I didn't really think I was ready for competition, but the Leeds happened at the perfect time, and the main reason I entered was because I thought it was an opportunity to get up on stage and perform three or four times.

"My attitude to competition is 'what's the end goal?'. For me, the end goal is to have performances for people to see how you play, who love your music and who give you more opportunities to go on stage.

"Competition of course depends on tastes, how you feel that day and how the jury feels, so for me, it's all about being in the moment, knowing 'this is what we love', rather than thinking about being better than anyone else, and Leeds gave me that freedom to express myself."

In addition to the overall second place prize, she also won the competition's chamber music and female composer prizes, which she says helped her to sign with her promotion company, and boosted her career since, which has included performances in the United Kingdom and Germany, and a 20-date tour next year.

"Leeds was a starting point for me to show what else I can do well, and to keep that momentum going," she said. "It was a huge confidence boost – I don't really worry about the next step, because I know people have my back and that they believe in what I'm doing, and also concert halls trust me and understand what I'm trying to say."

The rule changes for next year's competition, she said, will be "very fun and I'm excited to see artists doing different genres of music, playing things we wouldn't expect."

And for anyone interested in following in her steps on the road to the Leeds, and maybe beyond, her advice is simple: "If you want to try it, try it.

"There's nothing to worry about in sense of 'what if I don't win' - we're all human beings, we have feelings, music is our way of portraying who we are, communicating with our audience, if you have something to say, say it."