Compose your own piece for the chance to WIN a Kawai piano
We are delighted to announce that the 2023 Pianist Composing Competition is now open!
Amateur music composers from all over the world have the opportunity to showcase their skills to the Pianist judges – and win an attractive package of prizes:
- A Kawai ES520 piano, matching designer stand and pedal unit worth over £1,440 (choose between black or white)
- Winning piece printed inside the Scores section of Pianist magazine
- Piece recorded by concert pianist Chenyin Li for the official Pianist album and Spotify
- Performance of your piece filmed professionally by Chenyin Li for the Pianist YouTube channel
The winner can choose between either a black or white version of Kawai's ES520
Entrants must submit a composition for solo piano, making sure the length doesn’t exceed 64 bars. The piece can be in any style, and for any technical level. There are no restrictions of age, nationality or profession, however you will be ineligible if you derive any income from composing. Pieces are to be submitted on the official submissions page as a PDF. A full breakdown of the terms and conditions can be found on the entry page.
The competition, which has been running annually since 2016, will close on 5 December. The winner will be chosen in early 2023, and the results will then be announced in March 2023.
Last year’s winner, Michelle Lord, wowed judges with a quirky, 56-bar waltz titled The Spectre’s Waltz. She commented, “Winning this competition has confirmed that I can composer. It’s been proven. I need to go further.” Lord's winning piece features inside Pianist 127.
Erica Worth, editor of Pianist, says, “We love running the annual composing competition. It’s one of the highlights of the year. We get so many interesting entries and it’s a joy to sit at the piano and play them to one another. We’ve had some impressive winners, too, who have gone on to compose professionally!”