From young Grade 3 beginners to a graduating student of the Class of 2026 holding four offers from top conservatoires in the US and UK, a group of piano-loving teenagers gathered at the Menuhin Hall for a shared concerto dream. On 18 April, the First Menuhin Star Piano Concerto Competition was successfully concluded.

Since registration opened in the winter of 2025, the contestants, beyond their regular schoolwork, devoted themselves to polishing selected movements from classic concertos by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, encouraging and learning from one another. For young piano students, playing a concerto is a childhood aspiration — to move beyond solo playing and engage in a warm musical dialogue with an “orchestra”. During the preparation and rehearsal period, the teachers were delighted to find that each contestant had developed a unique way of finding their own piano tone: no longer uniform percussiveness, but singing, supple, and distinctive voices. They have learned to balance and converse with the conductor and the “orchestra” within the rich textures simulated by the electronic organ.

Who are the winners of the first competition? And who will present touching performances from these young musicians? On 26 April (this Sunday), the first-, second- and third-prize winners will take to the stage in a special concert to receive the audience’s applause and witness their moment of glory. All other contestants will also be given the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the electronic organ orchestra — the essence of the competition lies not only in competition, but in enabling every student to realise their childhood dream of playing a concerto. On that day, the audience will not only witness the proud moment of the award-winning young pianists, but will also enjoy the rich and magnificent sounds woven together with the orchestral sonorities simulated by the electronic organ, and see their confident and spirited presence on stage.