Winner confirmed in the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.

Five of the world’s best young concert pianists took part in two days of finals in Hastings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Rory Macdonald. American/Taiwanese pianist Curtis Phill Hsu won the coveted Sophia Guo First Prize after a “scintillating performance” of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto, convincing the international jury, chaired by Professor Vanessa Latarche, that he is the fitting overall winner of the competition.

A spokesman said: “The prize includes a £15,000 cash prize, as well as professional engagements and the Hastings Fellowship, an invaluable artist development package provided by one of the UK’s leading artist’s agents. Other prizes included a prize awarded by members of the orchestra and a special prize for the best performance of a new work specially commissioned for the competition’s second (recital) round from American composer Lera Auerbach.”

The prizes awarded were: First Prize to Curtis Phill Hsu, 19 (USA/Taiwan). The Sophia Guo Award: £15,000 donated by Dayu & Ling Guo; Second Prize (£7,000) to Harmony Zhu, 18 (Canada); Third Prize (£3,000) to Chengyao Zhou, 16 (China); Fourth Prize (£1,500) to Derek Wang, 25 (USA); Fifth Prize (£1,000) to Hyelim Kim, 27 (South Korea); The Sussex Prize (£2,500) to Curtis Phill Hsu – awarded for the best performance in the semi-finals; The Orchestra Prize (£500) to Harmony Zhu – awarded by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; The Hastings Prize (£500) to Chengyao Zhou – awarded for the best performance of the new commission by Lera Auerbach; The Festival d’Auvers-sur-Oise Prize to Curtis Phill Hsu and Harmony Zhu: an engagement at the 2025 Festival, awarded by Juror Pascal Escande to the finalist/s of his choice

“Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition attracts entries from all over the world. The 2024 competition – the 17th since it was revived in 2006 – took place over ten days at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings. 40 competitors – aged between 16 and 30 at the time of the competition – were chosen to take part from almost 250 young concert pianists who submitted video auditions. In Stage One of the competition, participants were required to play movements of two contrasting concertos, accompanied by another pianist. 20 competitors were selected to go through to Stage Two, the recital round, in which competitors were asked to devise and perform a short solo recital including a specially commissioned new work by the Austrian- American composer Lera Auerbach.

“Ten pianists were selected to go through to the semi-finals, in which competitors performed classical concertos accompanied for the first time this year by the Southbank Sinfonia – a chamber orchestra that is formed anew each year by recruiting 33 promising music graduates.

"Finally, five finalists were chosen to perform larger Romantic or twentieth century concertos, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.”