31 pianists from 12 countries gather in Estonia to compete in the IV Tallinn International Piano Competition

Today, 31 young pianists from all over the world drew their order of performance, thus kicking off the IV Tallinn International Piano Competition. The competition will take place in three rounds at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the winner will be announced on December 3.

Despite the debilitating effects the pandemic had on competition culture, 31 pianists from 12 countries have found their way to Tallinn. The competition is organised fully live, neglecting the now understandably popular digital format. In addition to piano players from neighboring countries, those from further afield come from Spain, France, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China.

"Taking part and testing your limits in a classical music competition is certainly not an undertaking one does out of a whim," says renowned pianist Mihkel Poll, the winner of the very first Tallinn International Piano Competition and one the head organisers now. “So we are all the happier that pianists from so many different places are gathering in Tallinn. Though the Tallinn international piano competition is still young, we want to continue to grow into a musical event that young pianists are looking forward to for many years to come” he adds.

The demanding program gives the performers the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in various styles and techniques. The finalists will perform with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arvo Volmer.

A total of almost 36 hours of live music will be heard by an international jury of acclaimed pianists, including Eteri Andjaparidze (chairwoman, Georgia / USA), Ivari Ilja (Estonia), Juris Kalnciems (Latvia), Antti Siirala (Finland) and Igor Cognolato (Italy).

The competition is live streamed on Youtube. 

More information about the competition programme and repertoire can be found on the website at tipc.eamt.ee or on Facebook: @tallinninternationalpianocompetition.

Mihkel Poll (2006), Kristi Kapten (2011) and Anna Szałucka (2016) have previously won the Tallinn International Piano Competition. The organizers of the competition are the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Association of Estonian Pianists.