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they’d had the opportunity for guidance, they could have gone further, but it shows that

the instrument still has an impact.”

The Lang Lang Foundation, headed by the world-famous Chinese pianist, is partnering

with the Leeds to bring musical opportunities to young people and to provide resources
for teachers. And around Leeds and Bradford you will find pianos on street corners: an

invitation to sit down and play. You can even book a free-of-charge piano lesson.

The Leeds’ jury is keenly attuned to “gender balance”. In 2021 it discovered to its

dismay that it had delivered an all-male final. “We all felt that we cannot let this be,”

Imogen Cooper, the chair of the jury, says. “But the rules are that once a vote is cast, you

cannot go back.”

This year nine women and 15 men have reached the quarter-final. Aiming at gender

imbalance in other ways, a new prize instigated by the pianist Alexandra Dariescu

rewards the best performance of a work by a female composer.

The jury try to make the results unimpeachable. The initial entries were tested blind —

no name, picture or background information, just their recorded piano playing — and
whittled down to 65, who for the first round each gave a short, filmed recital in one of

seven international cities, from which 24 were then selected to go to the Leeds. After

two more elimination rounds five finalists each play a concerto with the Royal Liverpool

Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Domingo Hindoyan.

What is the jury looking for? “That undefinable thing that makes you sit up quickly: a

special bond with the music,” Cooper says. “It involves sound quality, creativity,

imagination and an instinct for how to get the best out of a concert grand piano.”

As the candidates step on to the stage, they may reflect that they are building a musical

life not just for themselves, but also for those they inspire for the future.