We are delighted to announce the 4th Montecatini International Piano Competition! Montecatini International Piano Competition is committed to supporting the most outstanding young musicians by recognising their full potential. Our international jury is searching for not only exceptional talent, but most importantly, for artistic individuality as a performer.
The Junior Category will be held online throughout the competition, and the prize winners will be invited to attend and listen to the Final of the Montecatini International Piano Competition Senior Category and Award Ceremony at the beautiful Teatro Niccolini, Florence’s oldest theatre right in the heart of the city of Renaissance on 20th October 2023.
With the kind support of our international partners, Steinway & Sons, La Filharmonie, KNS Classical, Karma Sound Studio, Schott Music, Piano Forte Firenze as well as Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA), the 2023 winners’ prizes will offer some exceptional opportunities for young talents , including prestigious concert engagements at the New Steinway Hall in Milan and at the Piano Forte Firenze Festival in Italy in the 2024 Season, as well as professional media promotion and an invitation to attend the Masterclasses by world renowned concert artists during the festival ,as a crucial stepping stone to assist their further studies.
Please explore the details about the competition below, pick your category and submit the completed online application form together with the link to your performance video uploaded to one of the following channels: YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive before the deadline.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to the competition and wish you all the very best with your entries!

JURY

Aisa Ijiri

Founder & Artistic Director of the Tokyo International Piano Association

Founder & Artistic Director of Montecatini International Piano Competition

Concert Pianist | Steinway Artist
Chris Craker

Founder & Creative Director of the Karma Sound Studios

Executive Producer | Former Senior Vice President at Sony Music Entertainment

Carles Lama
Pianist | Steinway Artist | Founder & Director of KNS Classical
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:

Simply Driven (Amazon.co.uk)

Simply Driven (Amazon.com)

Simply Driven (Amazon.co.jp)

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

31st August 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

Junior Category A


Junior Category B


Junior Category C