Royal High School Bath launches competition for young pianists

Royal High School Bath is giving young pianists, under 16 years old, from all schools in Bath the opportunity to win a Steinway masterclass with esteemed pianist, Charles Owen.

Open to girls and boys (aged 15 and under) from all schools in Bath, working on Grade 5 and upwards, the Rising Stars Young Pianist Competition is in partnership with prestigious piano makers, Steinway and Son and will be held at Royal High School’s All-Steinway Music School on Saturday 4 March from 1pm. Participants will be asked to perform a single piece of their choice to professional adjudicators.

The winner will join Royal High School music scholars for a day in London at Steinway Hall, Steinway and Son’s UK headquarters in Marylebone and home to an incredible collection of pianos including some of the world’s most prized instruments from Hamburg STEINWAYS to New York STEINWAYS. In addition, they will get the thrilling opportunity to attend a masterclass with a renowned concert pianist and perform at a recital in the evening on Thursday 9 March at Steinway Hall.

There will be two runners up who will be invited to join the winner and record their pieces in the Royal High School’s state of the art recording studio, mastered by a professional engineer and produced by Royal High School Bath’s Director of Music, Mark Bradbury.

Last year’s winner was 13 year old Gavin Phelps from Ralph Allen School who said: “I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to Steinway Hall in London. It was fun to play the different pianos there, especially the Steinway Spirio that plays itself, and also the piano that's used for the BBC Proms at the Albert Hall. I enjoyed the masterclass and the concert pianist I met, Martin Roscoe, gave me some helpful and constructive tips on bringing out the melody line in my piece."

Commenting on this year’s competition, Mark Bradbury, Royal High School Bath’s Director of Music, said: “We are delighted to invite all young piano students, working on Grade 5 or more, in Bath to enter our Rising Stars competition. Bath is home to many impressive young pianists and our competition is about celebrating their talent and hard work, but equally about sharing our amazing music facilities and creating opportunities for them to benefit from expert feedback that will help take them to the next level.

“They will get the chance to play their piece to judges at our state of the art Steinway Music School and if they win, to attend a masterclass with a concert pianist and perform at Steinway Hall in London. Our hope is that the winner will come away more confident, feeling inspired and with practical tips to help them grow and improve as a pianist.”

With its commitment to excellence in musical education, Royal High School Bath is one of only 250 schools worldwide with Steinway School status, and students benefit from access to world-class Steinway and Sons pianos, masterclasses by Steinway artists, and performance opportunities throughout the year. Royal High School Bath also boasts a state of the art Music School with an ultra-modern professional-standard recording studio, large teaching spaces, sound-proofed practice rooms, a beautiful recital space and top quality instruments and equipment.

To find out more about opportunities to study music at Royal High School Bath, contact Admissions@rhsb.gdst.net. The All-Steinway Music School facilities are also available to hire https://www.royalhighbath.gdst.net/venue-hire/music-facilities