Cape Town is preparing to welcome 30 young pianists from 14 countries for a new international classical music competition, with tickets now available ahead of its March 2027 debut.
The inaugural Cape Town International Piano Competition will run from 6 to 17 March, bringing a series of performances to Stellenbosch and Cape Town before six finalists take to the stage with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at City Hall.
The selected competitors were chosen from more than 200 entries worldwide. Across 12 days, audiences will be able to follow the competition from its opening rounds at Stellenbosch University’s Endler Hall to the semi-finals at the Baxter Concert Hall in Rondebosch and the final performances in the city centre.
The event will offer more than US$70 000 in prize money, alongside opportunities for selected pianists to perform at international music festivals and concert series.
The competition opens with a welcome reception at Endler Hall on Saturday, 6 March, before the first and second rounds take place at the Stellenbosch venue from 7 to 11 March.
All 30 pianists will perform in the opening rounds, after which the field will be reduced to 12 semi-finalists. They will each present a 45-minute solo recital at Baxter Concert Hall in Rondebosch on 12 and 13 March.
The final six will progress to the competition’s closing stage at Cape Town City Hall on 16 and 17 March.
Each finalist will perform a complete piano concerto accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Daniel Raiskin. The winners will be announced at the prize-giving ceremony on the final evening.
International jury and performance opportunities
The competition has attracted an international jury that includes pianists and music specialists Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Charlotte Hu, Michael Lifits, Anthony Hewitt, Tanya Bannister and Emanuil Ivanov, alongside South Africa’s Francois du Toit.
The prize pool exceeds US$70 000, with the first-prize winner receiving US$25 000. The top performers will also have access to opportunities beyond the competition, including a South African tour and international appearances at the Busoni Festival in Italy, Bachfest in Leipzig and the Gilmore Rising Stars Series in the United States.
Artistic director Nina Schumann said the organisers were confident about the line-up and the event’s artistic programme.
‘We truly have the makings of an incredible piano event. We have a stellar field of competitors, a star-studded jury and an accomplished conductor in Maestro Daniel Raiskin, supported by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.’
Cape Piano has also received support from the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and joined the World Federation of International Music Competitions as a Resonance Member, a development that places the new event within an international network of music competitions.
Alongside the competition, the Cape Piano Festival will bring performances into communities across the Cape through pop-up recitals and shared performances.
The programme also includes masterclasses and the Piano Graveyard Revival, an initiative that restores disused pianos and places them in schools and community venues at no cost.
Meanwhile, Executive Director Alex Andersson said the project aims to connect international musicians with local artists and make classical music more accessible.
‘Cape Piano would like to play a part in raising the level of classical piano in South Africa by bringing the best in the world here, connecting them with local artists through shared recitals and masterclasses and by letting this timeless music loose from the concert hall.’
The competition’s wider collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will also feature in the city’s summer music programme.
A 7 March Kirstenbosch performance, featuring pianist Emanuil Ivanov in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.3, is included in the garden’s recently announced concert line-up, with the orchestra performing in collaboration with the competition.
The finals will be streamed live for international audiences, while recordings of the earlier rounds will be made available on the Cape Piano YouTube channel.
Tickets are available through Webtickets, with individual day passes and a multi-event Competition Pass on offer.
- Rounds 1 and 2 – Endler Hall, Stellenbosch: 7–11 March. Day passes cost R250.
- Semi-finals – Baxter Concert Hall, Rondebosch: 12–13 March. Day passes cost R250.
- Finals – Cape Town City Hall: 16 and 17 March at 19:00. Tickets cost R550 per evening.
- Competition Pass: R2 000, providing VIP seating for the competition rounds, semi-finals and both final evenings, as well as a programme and goodie bag. Organisers say the pass represents a saving of R850.
The welcome reception takes place at Endler Hall on Saturday, 6 March, at 19:00. The first round begins on Sunday, 7 March, with performances scheduled from 09:00.
For the full programme and ticket availability, visit the Webtickets booking page or the Cape Piano website.
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