Birmingham International Piano Competition

18/06/2026

We are delighted to announce our winners:

1st prize - Christos Fountos
2nd prize - Seoyun Baek
Joint 3rd prize - Vincent Ling and Kerry Waller

Congratulations to our laureates! ✨

11/06/2026

Join us on Sunday, June 14 at 4:00 pm to hear our Finalist, Ukrainian pianist, Nikita Burzanitsa, who will present a programme of Brahms, Ravel and Stravinsky.

Get your tickets here: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/bipf-celebrity-opening-recital-14-06-2026

Programme:
Brahms – Paganini Variations book I
Ravel – Gaspard de la Nuit
Stravinsky – 3 movements from “Petrushka”

Biography:
Born into a family of musicians in Donetsk, Ukraine, Nikita revealed exceptional musical ability from an early age. He began his piano studies at seven with Professor Nataliya Chesnokova and continued at the Special Music School for Gifted Children in Donetsk (2008–2015), where he established a formidable technical and artistic foundation. His outstanding talent led to a full scholarship at Wells Cathedral School (UK), where he studied with John Byrne.
He later graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Professor Dmitri Alexeev, completing a Bachelor of Music as a Milstein Medal Scholar and a Master of Performance supported by the ABRSM Overseas Scholarship. He subsequently completed the Artist Diploma with full scholarship, marking the culmination of his formal training.
Nikita is an internationally recognised prizewinner, with a strong record of success at major competitions. In 2026, he was awarded 2nd Prize and the Audience Award at the Cambridge Piano Competition. His recent distinctions also include 3rd Prize at the Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition (2025) and a Special Prize for Musical Emotion at the André Dumortier International Piano Competition (Belgium).
In 2024, he won 1st Prize and the Audience Prize at the Sheepdrove Piano Competition (UK), further confirming his reputation as a compelling and communicative performer. In 2023, he received 3rd Prize, the Orchestral Prize, and the Audience Prize at the Jazeps Vitols International Piano Competition (Latvia). He is also the winner of the BPSE Senior Intercollegiate Piano Competition in London (2022). His earlier career includes numerous first prizes at prestigious international competitions across Europe.
Nikita has worked with some of the most distinguished musicians of our time, including Lang Lang, Steven Hough, Angela Hewitt, Igor Levit, Denis Matsuev, and Kirill Gerstein. He performs widely across Europe as both a soloist and chamber musician. His playing is noted for its authority, tonal refinement, and expressive intensity, establishing him as a distinctive and compelling artistic voice of his generation.

11/06/2026

Our Finalist, Canadian pianist Nicole Wu will perform on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 pm.

Get your tickets: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/bipf-celebrity-opening-recital-14-06-2026

Programme:
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
Prokofiev - Sarcasms, Op. 17
Liszt - Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata

Biography:
Nicole Wu is a Canadian pianist recognized for her technical and artistic depth. She has distinguished herself in numerous prestigious competitions, including the 2026 Guildhall Romantic Piano Prize, the 2025 Prix d’Europe, the 2022 OSM Competition, and the Canadian Music Competition, as well as earning top honors such as the Golden Award at the 2016 Shanghai International Competition and First Prize at the 2017 Irmler International Competition.
A passionate and inquisitive musician, Nicole continually seeks to refine her artistry through frequent performances and participation in international summer festivals. She has attended prestigious programs such as the Domaine Forget Academy, Orford Academy, and the International Holland Music Academy (2023), where she presented three acclaimed recitals. In 2024, she was invited to join the PianoTexas Young Artist Program on a full-tuition scholarship.
Nicole’s artistic growth has been shaped through masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Robert Levin, Kevin Kenner, Christopher Elton, Jan Jiracek von Arnim, Boris Berman, Norma Fisher, and Arie Vardi. Their mentorship has deepened her artistic insight and strengthened her enduring commitment to musical excellence.
Currently, Nicole is pursuing her Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying under Prof. Ronan O’Hora and Carole Presland on scholarship. Her master’s studies are funded by the Fishmongers’ Company and Steinway & Sons. She previously earned her Bachelor of Music from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she studied with Dr. Ilya Poletaev. She has been supported by external awards from the Hnatyshyn Foundation and Jeunesses Musicales Canada.
Beyond music, Nicole leads a well-rounded life, with interests in drawing, reading, swimming, and ice skating. She is also an accomplished badminton player, having competed with her school’s team and the Holy Trinity Badminton Club

11/06/2026

Our Finalist, Canadian pianist Kerry Waller will perform Respighi, Medtner and Barber on Sunday, June 14 at 1:30 pm.

Get your tickets here: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/bipf-celebrity-opening-recital-14-06-2026

Programme:
Respighi - Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies, I. Molto Lento II. Tempestoso III. Lento
Medtner – Sonata Tragica, Op. 39 No. 5
Barber - Sonata for Piano in E flat minor, Op. 26, I. Allegro Energico II. Allegro Vivace e Leggero III. Adagio Mesto IV. Fuga. Allegro con Spirito

Biography:
Canadian pianist Kerry Waller, now resident in London, began his piano studies at the age of five in his home town of Edmonton, Alberta, with Wolfram Linnebach, and afterwards studied with Jacques Després at the University of Alberta, Paul Stewart at the University of Montreal, and Katya Apekisheva and Ronan O’Hora at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed his Artist Masters degree and his Artist Diploma in piano performance.

He has participated in masterclasses with many eminent colleagues, including Piers Lane, Victor Rosenbaum, Boris Berman, Idil Biret, Claudio Mehner-Martinez, Dennis Lee, Ann Schein, Christiane Karajeva, David Jalbert and Eric Larsen, and has taken part in numerous notable summer festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Encuentro de Santander, the Meadowmount School of Music and the International Summer Academy of the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. Among his competition successes have been First Prize at the International Festival of Lanaudière (Canada), the Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition, and Second Prize at the Shean Piano Competition (Edmonton, Canada).

Among Kerry's concert appearances are concerto dates with the Montreal Sinfonia, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra, and he has worked with conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Louis Lavigueur, Gilles Auger, Simon Wills and Petar Dundjerski. He is also active in the field of chamber music, where notable partners have included cellist Ivan Monighetti, horn player Richard Watkins and pianist Katya Apekisheva.
Recent engagements include recitals for St. Mary’s Perivale, the National Liberal Club, the Endelienta Festival in Cornwall, the Sevenoaks Music Club, the Polish Hearth Club, Poole Lighthouse Centre for the Arts, the London Symphony Orchestra's lunchtime recital series, the Blüthner recital series, the London City Music Society concert series, the Sarah Walker Festival, the Guildhall Chamber Festival, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Total Immersion day, devoted to the music of Anders Hillborg and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

11/06/2026

Just a few days left until our Final!
First in line is Cypriot pianist Christos Fountos, who will be performing on Sunday, June 14 at 12:30 pm.

Get your tickets here: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/bipf-celebrity-opening-recital-14-06-2026

Programme:
Haydn - Piano Sonata in D Major, Hob XVI:24
Scarlatti - Sonata in G minor K35
Schumann - Drei Fantasiestücke op.111
Scriabin - Piano Sonata no.4 in F-Sharp Major, op.30
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit

Biography:
Christos Fountos was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1997. He started taking piano lessons at the age of 5 under the guidance of Prof. Gospodinoff. At age 15, he was awarded the Piano Diploma from the National Conservatory of Cyprus with Highest Distinction and two years later he performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no.2 as soloist in his debut with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. At age 18, he started studying first under the guidance of Philip Fowke and then under Sergio de Simone and Martino Tirimo at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance in London with full scholarship. He graduated in 2022 (BMus and MMus in Performance, Artist Diploma) with top marks and awards for excellence. He has recently won the 3rd Prize and the Chamber Music Prize at the 65th Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy, a country where he returns regularly for concerts. An active soloist, since 2022 he has performed the 4 Rachmaninoff Concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody as well as the Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos nos.1&2, Prokofiev 3, Beethoven 3 and Ravel in G with various symphony orchestras in the UK, Italy and the Cyprus Symphony of which he recently won its Soloist Competition. He is also a dedicated chamber musician as the pianist of the 'Waldstein Trio' which appeared first at London's Wigmore Hall and then in Canada (Banff Centre), Austria (Musikverein & Mozarteum), Germany (Beethoven's House Bonn), USA (Weill Room-Carnegie Hall New York), Malta, Cyprus (Pharos Foundation) and regularly around the UK, performing the core repertoire including Piano Quartets/Quintets and premieres of new music. He has performed with cellist Raphael Wallfisch in recitals and the Simply Quartet. Christos is a Young Artist of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and silver medal recipient.

22/01/2026

📯Announcement✨
🎹Birmingham International Piano Competition 2026 is now FULLY INTERNATIONAL!
Pianists no longer have to be residents in the UK to apply.
The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities aged 18-32.

📆Application deadline is April 10, 2026 for the video round.
We look forward to receiving your applications!

Visit the website for more information:

The Birmingham International Piano Competition provides young pianists the opportunity to compete for a coveted prize in front of an intimate audience at Birmingham Town Hall. Formerly known as the Brant International Piano Competition.

18/12/2025

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Birmingham International Piano Competition 2026.

🗓 Application deadline: April 10, 2026
🎼 Competition dates: June 14-18, 2026.

This year, the Birmingham International Piano Competition will be incorporated within the Birmingham International Piano Festival, offering an expanded platform for participants.

What's new for 2026:

✔The 20 pianists selected from the First Round will each receive a £300 honorarium for their recital performances in the Final Round.
✔Finals will be presented as public recitals, with 4 recitals per day over 5 days, offering audiences a true festival-style experience.
✔Participants will have the unique opportunity to be featured alongside major international pianists appearing as part of the festival.

To apply and for more information, visit our website:

Jury We are delighted to have a distinguished jury adjudicate the competition this year: ​ Klaus Sticken, Shuhua Chen, Pascal Nemirovski, John Thwaites ​Format ​ The competition will be held...