
Announcement Winners
JUNIOR CATEGORY A

Anna Martirosian

Eileen Hanyu Zhang

Emma Lu
JUNIOR CATEGORY B

Wanqi Huang

Patrizia Amane Di Lella

Riccardo Santoleri
Special Mention
Hiram Gabriel Reategui Lopez
Qingxin Wei
Isabella Kirillova
JUNIOR CATEGORY C

Jarmin Weng

Wu Wei

Yipeng Xu
Special Mention
Martin Cvetkov
Daniel Guo
JURY

Aisa Ijiri
Founder & Artistic Director of the Tokyo International Piano Association
Founder & Artistic Director of Montecatini International Piano Competition

Chris Craker
Founder & Creative Director of the Karma Sound Studios
Executive Producer | Former Senior Vice President at Sony Music Entertainment

Carles Lama

Helena Ha-Young Sul
Pianist | Founder & Artistic Director of Gothenburg Piano Festival

Maiko Mori
Concert Pianist | Composer

Melanie Spanswick
Composer & Author at Schott Music |
Professor of Piano at Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama






RULES AND REGULATIONS
Eligibility
A) 6 – 9 years old
B) 10 – 14 years old
C) 15 – 17 years old
*Age limits as 8th May 2023
Application
• A complete application form consists of:
1) Application Form
2) Full Name
3) Video Link
4) Programme
5) Proof of ID
6) Publicity Photo
7) Short Biography
8) Application Fee
9) Contact Details
• The entry video should demonstrate the range and scope of your artistry through a variety of repertoire from J S Bach to 21st Century (YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive).
• The length of the entry video:
Junior Category A – 10 minutes
Junior Category B – 15 minutes
Junior Category C – 20 minutes
• The video must be unedited, but it does not have to be from a concert performance.
• The video(s) must have been filmed no earlier than 31st August 2022.
• A movement of a sonata or suite is allowed, but Concerti and Chamber Music are not accepted in this competition.
• The entry video is allowed to be made by multiple performance videos.
• The works must be published.
• Incomplete or late entries will not be accepted.
• The application fee is non-refundable.
JURY
Aisa Ijiri
Pianist | Steinway Artist | Founder & Artistic Director of Montecatini International Piano Competition, Piano Forte Firenze and Tokyo International Piano Association
Chris Craker
CEO of Karma Sound Studios | Former Vice President of Sony Music Entertainment
Helena Ha-Young Sul
Pianist | Founder & Artistic Director of Gothenburg Piano Festival
Carles Lama
Pianist | Steinway Artist | Founder & Director of KNS Classical
Melanie Spanswick
Composer & Author at Schott Music | Junior Piano Faculty Member at Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Maiko Mori
Pianist | Associate Lecturer at University of Chichester
Condition & Prizes
JUNIOR CATEGORY A (Online)
Open to all pianists between the ages of 6 – 9 years.
Please submit the complete application form with the link to the video performance
(10 minutes).
Application Fee: £ 45
PRIZE
Gold – Winners Gala Concert at Steinway Hall, Milan (Italy) in 2024 and Diploma
Silver – Diploma
Bronze – Diploma
JUNIOR CATEGORY B (Online)
Open to all pianists between the ages of 10 – 14 years.
Please submit the complete application form with the link to the video performance
(15 minutes).
Application Fee: £ 50
PRIZE
Gold – Winners Gala Concert at Steinway Hall, Milan (Italy) in 2024 and Diploma
Silver – Diploma
Bronze – Diploma
JUNIOR CATEGORY C (Online)
Open to all pianists between the ages of 15 – 17 years.
Please submit the complete application form with the link to the video performance
(20 minutes).
Application Fee: £ 55
PRIZE
Gold – Concert at Piano Forte Firenze Festival and Steinway Hall, Milan (Italy) in 2024 and Diploma
Silver – Winners Gala at Piano Forte Firenze Festival (Italy) in 2024 and Diploma
Bronze – Winners Gala at Piano Forte Firenze Festival (Italy) in 2024 and Diploma
The Schott Music Prize
All competitors are invited to participate in this special prize which has been generously funded by Schott Music. To take part, competitors will need to perform one work from the publication Simply Driven, a set of 5 virtuoso pieces composed by Melanie Spanswick (published by Schott Music), or two works from No Words Necessary, a set of 12 intermediate level pieces (published by Schott Music), also composed by Melanie Spanswick. The winner will receive a £50 voucher to spend online at Schott Music Schott Music
RESULT
The result will be announced online on 1st of October 2023 and the prize winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony at Teatro Niccolini in Florence on 20th of October 2023
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For the Schott Music Prize, please pick two pieces from No Words Necessary (Intermediate Level) or one work from Simply Driven (Advance Level) composed by Melanie Spanswick and include your performance of your selected works in your complete competition video entry. You can purchase these books, No Words Necessary and Simply Driven as either hardcopies or digital downloads at the Schott Music Shop or via the link below.
Simply Driven
Simply Driven, published in 2020 by Schott Music in the renowned Edition Schott Series, is a collection of five piano pieces intended for advanced to virtuoso level pianists: Frenzy, Aisa: Sand, Silk and Love, Enigma, Chasm, and Time. Each piece proffers a completely different character, featuring various piano textures, colours and sound worlds, whilst still reflecting minimalist influences. All five pieces are distinctly tonal yet they offer a contemporary twist. Composed over a period of a year during 2018/2019, four of the five pieces were written for the composer’s friends who are all wonderful pianists; Aisa Ijiri, Yuki Negishi, Maiko Mori and Madalina Rusu, and each pianist has performed and recorded their respective piece. The title for the volume was inspired by comments from the composer’s family and friends, who remarked that the music often felt ‘driven’ or forward moving.
To find out more about each piece and to hear them, click here:
You can purchase the score in hard copy or digital download from Schott Music:
Or from Amazon:
No Words Necessary
No Words Necessary is a collection of twelve piano pieces for the intermediate player, or for students of approximately Grade 3 – 7 level (of ABRSM, Trinity College London or London College of Music exams). This volume was written in Hong Kong during a visit in 2018, where the composer was working as an adjudicator for the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. The pieces are characteristically tonal, but with a minimalistic influence. The title, No Words Necessary, was inspired by German poet and writer Heinrich Heine (1797 – 1856): ‘Where words leave off, music speaks”. Each work is intended to evoke thoughts, emotions or images in the mind. Many are reflective in character, with melodious tunes and poignant harmonies, but there are also more energetic, lively pieces too. You can find out more about No Words Necessary, and purchase them here: No Words Necessary (Amazon.co.uk)
DEADLINE
15th September 2023
APPLICATION FEE
Junior A : £45
Junior B : £50
Junior C : £55
If you would prefer to send your application fee by the international bank transfer:
Montecatini Piano Festival
Bank: NatWest
Account number: 58744789
Sort code: 601437
IBAN: GB67NWBK60143758744789
BIC: NWBKGB2L
CONTACT
Official Website: www.tipamusic.com
Email: competition@tipamusic.com