Congratulations to 23-year-old Alim Beisembayev from Kazakhstan for his Leeds International Piano Competition win. Beisembayev is the first prize-winner from Kazakhstan in the history of the Leeds International Piano Competition.
He’s secured £25,000 cash prize plus a contract with Askonas Holt, a recording deal with Warner Classics, plus a European tour organised with partners Steinway & Sons.
He also gets to perform with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 23 September and will also have future concert opportunities at Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre.
My money was on Kaito Kobayashi whose performance of Bartok’s third piano concerto earlier this evening really took me by surprise. Twitter followers will have also noticed I’d backed UK pianist Thomas Kelly from South East London. I really enjoyed his performance of Beethoven 4. Endearing. Keep an eye out for him in the years to come.
