Jaeden Izik-Dzurko clears the trophy table at The Leeds

The UK's most prestigious piano event the Leeds International Piano Competition (11-21 September) – known as 'The Leeds' – has announced Jaeden Izik-Dzurko as the overall winner. The Canadian pianist, 25, takes home a £30,000 cash prize and the Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medal. He also receives a career-changing prize package that includes concerto engagements with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a Wigmore Hall debut and international concerts.

Co-founded by Fanny Waterman and Marion Thorpe in 1963, The Leeds has heralded the arrival of many now-legendary pianists, including Murray Perahia, who won in 1972, Radu Lupu (1969) and, more recently, Federico Colli (2012). The 2024 jury, led by Imogen Cooper, comprised world-leading pianists including Pavel Kolesnikov and Ingrid Fliter. 'Our aim was to find not just the finest pianist, but the most complete musician, and with Jaeden we have achieved that,' said Cooper in an official statement. 'He demonstrated exceptional artistic maturity and imagination, remarkable technical command, and a profound ability to captivate and transport the audience through his storytelling and poetry throughout the competition, culminating in a truly unforgettable final performance.'

The finalists performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor Domingo Hindoyan at St George’s Hall in Bradford (broadcast on BBC Radio In Concert, available to listen back via BBC Sounds).

Second prize and the Marion Thorpe silver medal was awarded to Junyan Chen (China), followed by Khanh Nhi Luong (Vietnam) who received third prize and the Lady Roslyn Lyons bronze medal. Both are awarded cash prizes (£18,000 and £12,000 respectively), as well as concert engagements. Fourth prize went to Kai-Min Chang (Taiwan), and fifth to Julian Trevelyan (UK), who had impressed throughout with his bold interpretative style (listen to his Prokofiev Sonata No 6 here). UK hopes were also high for Callum McLachlan, who gave a superb recital in the second round but sadly did not make the semi finals. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Award, awarded to the best communicator of contemporary music, was given to finalist Kai-Min Chang, who will now receive a commission of a brand-new work to perform at a future Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society series.

Chen won the inaugural Alexandra Dariescu Award, presented for an outstanding performance of a work by a woman composer. She receives a £3,000 cash prize, a concerto performance with the Romanian Radio Orchestra in Bucharest which will be broadcast on national radio, and a solo evening recital at Music in Lyddington. Chen was also presented with the Yaltah Menuhin Award for an outstanding performance of chamber music – she receives £3,000 and performance opportunities with the Leeds International Chamber Music Series and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Chamber Music Series.

Pianist Alexandra Dariescu was in Leeds for much of the competition, presenting alongside Petroc Trelawny, who headed up the broadcasts across multiple formats, including the competition's YouTube channels. This was the first time the entire competition had been broadcast, with additional programmes planned for later in the year, including a 120-minute programme set to appear on BBC Four later this autumn. A live EP with a selection of works from the winner’s performance will be released on Warner Classics on 11 October, with a studio recording to follow.

Piano-planters and sculptures were installed around Leeds to celebrate the triennial competition 

The competition was enhanced by a piano trail featuring sculptures and planters across the city, as well as a pianodrome amphitheatre where performances took place in a charming stage created from old instruments at the Leeds City Museum.

The next competition will take place in 2027.