Competition
6–17 March 2027
Philosophy
Whilst Cape Town International Piano Competition is a prestigious event, it aims to provide participants an experience beyond pure competition. Not only will participants be flown to the event by the competition, they will have the opportunity to engage in recitals, masterclasses and community engagement, should they not progress in a round. Further, the competition will make Cape Town tourism events available to all participants.
Application
Who may apply
Applicants must be born between the 1 March 1995 and 1 March 2011 (ages 16–32).
No current student of a juror may apply to participate in the competition.
Submission dates
Registration opens on 1 April 2026.
Application closes on 1 August 2026.
How to apply
Applicants must complete the online application form and upload the following required materials:
- Personal information
- Copy of passport and identity document
- Recent high-res photograph 300dpi
- Biography/CV (including qualifications), 250 words
- Video recording (see Video Selection requirements below)
Application and Participation Fees
International Competitors
- Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $35 is payable upon submission of the online application. Payment instructions are provided on the application portal.
- Live Rounds Participation Fee: International competitors invited to advance to the live rounds will be required to pay a participation fee of $100, payable by the deadline stated in the invitation.
South African Competitors
- Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $35 is payable upon submission of the online application. Payment instructions are provided on the application portal.
- Live Rounds Participation Fee: South African competitors invited to advance to the live rounds, will have the $100.00 participation fee waivered.
Participation in the live rounds is confirmed only upon receipt of the applicable participation fee. All fees are non-refundable.
Competition format
- Following pre-selection by the Screening Jury, 30 competitors will advance to the live rounds in Cape Town.
- All 30 competitors will participate in both Rounds 1 & 2.
- 12 competitors will be selected to advance to the Semi-Final Round.
- 6 competitors will be selected to advance to the Final Round.
Screening Jury: Four jurors | Competition Jury: Seven jurors, including one South African juror
Competition schedule
| Date | Event | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 6.03.2027 | Opening Piano Extravaganza | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Sun 7.03.2027 | Round 1 | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Mon 8.03.2027 | Round 1 | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Tue 9.03.2027 | Round 2 | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Wed 10.03.2027 | Round 2 | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Thu 11.03.2027 | Round 2 | Endler | Stellenbosch |
| Fri 12.03.2027 | Semi-Finals 1 | Baxter | Cape Town |
| Sat 13.03.2027 | Semi-Finals 2 | Baxter | Cape Town |
| Sun 14.03.2027 | Rehearsal 1 | Artscape | Cape Town |
| Mon 15.03.2027 | Rehearsal 2 | Artscape | Cape Town |
| Tue 16.03.2027 | Finals 1 | City Hall | Cape Town |
| Wed 17.03.2027 | Finals 2 | City Hall | Cape Town |
Jury
The Competition Jury
Charlotte Hu (Taiwan/USA)
Anthony Hewitt (UK)
Antonio Pompa-Baldi (Italy/USA)
Francois du Toit (SA)
Michail Lifits (Germany)
Tanya Bannister (USA)
The Screening Jury
Ludmil Angelov (Bulgaria)
Lori Sims (USA)
Pieter Grobler (SA)
Esthea Kruger (SA)
Prizes
Main Prizes
1st Prize: $ 25 000
- Multi-city National Tour of South Africa
- Paid recital at the 2028 Busoni Festival in Bolzano, Italy
- Paid recital at the 2028 Gilmore Rising Stars Series in Michigan, USA
- Guest performer at the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium 2028
- Curated bush safari package in South Africa
- 2nd Prize: $18 000
- 3rd Prize: $12 000
- 4th Prize: $6 000
- 5th Prize: $5 000
- 6th Prize: $4 000
Special Prizes
- Ferruccio Busoni prize: The Busoni-Mahler Foundation shall award a Prize for the Best performance of a work by Ferruccio Busoni. The prize shall consist of a concert at the 2028 Busoni Festival, Bolzano Italy for a fee to be paid by the Busoni-Mahler Foundation.
- Bach category prize: The Bach-Archiv-Leipzig shall award a Prize for the Best performance of a work by J S Bach. The prize shall consist of a concert recital at the BachFest 2027 in Leipzig, Germany.
- Prize awarded for the best interpretation of a South African work, $1000
- Prize awarded for the best classical sonata, $1000
- Prize awarded for the best recital, semi-final round, $1000
- Prize awarded for the best concerto, $1000
- The Audience Prize, $1000
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prize winners will be invited to participate in a workshop with the Jury Members of the 2027 Busoni Competition Finals, Bolzano Italy.
Competition structure
The Screening Jury will adjudicate all applications and recordings electronically.
A total of 30 competitors will be chosen and announced no later than 1 September 2026.
All selected competitors will participate in Rounds 1 and 2 in Cape Town, after which the
jury will select 12 semi-finalists. The semi-final round will consist of a recital. Six finalists
will be selected to advance to the final round.
The final round will feature each finalist performing one complete piano concerto with the
Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Screening Round
Duration: maximum 25 minutes
Programme Requirements:
- A Baroque work or movement/s of a work
- A Classical sonata (one movement)
- An Etude
- One work of the applicant’s choice
- Repertoire selected for the video round may be repeated in the first and second rounds
Pre-screening Video Requirements
- Recordings must be one continuous, unedited take. Editing and/or post-production audio enhancement are strictly prohibited.
- The camera must be at a fixed, stable position, in landscape, capturing the keyboard as well as the performer’s face.
- Videos are submitted directly via Acceptd File links.
- All works must be performed from memory.
First Round
Duration: 25 minutes
Programme Requirements:
- A Baroque work or movement(s) of a work
- An Etude
- One work of the applicant’s choice
- A South African commission: Cape Piano will commission two South African composers to compose two works for the competition, of which one should be chosen. (approximately 3-5 minutes in length)
Second Round
Duration: 25-30 minutes
Programme Requirements:
- A complete Classical sonata
- Works of applicant’s own choice
Semi-final Round
Duration: 50-minute recital
The participant may present works of their own choice.
To be eligible for the Ferruccio Busoni prize, the programme must include a work from the following list:
- One Elegy from BV 249
- Elegy No. 7 Berceuse BV 252
- Sonatina No. 1 BV 257
- Sonatina Seconda BV 259
- Sonatina “In diem nativitatis Christi MCMXVII” BV 274
- Toccata (Prelude – Fantasy – Ciaccona) BV 287
- Indianisches Tagebuch (I), either No’s 1, 2, 3 or 4 BV 267
- Preludes Op. 37 BV 181: a choice of 3 preludes
- Fantasie nach Johann Sebastian Bach BV 253
- 10 variations of Chopin Präludium (Klavierübungen Teil 5) BV 213a
To be eligible for the Bach prize, the programme must include a work from the following list:
- Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue BWV 903
- Italian Concerto BWV 971
- Toccata D major BWV 912
- Toccata D minor BWV 913
Final Round
Finalists will perform one complete
concerto with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
The competitors are required to choose from the concertos list provided below:
- Tchaikovsky Concerto no.1
- Schumann Concerto in A minor
- Rachmaninoff Concerto nos. 2, 3, 4, Paganini Rhapsody
- Beethoven Concerto nos. 4, 5
- Liszt Concerto no. 1
- Brahms Concerto nos. 1, 2
- Prokofiev Concerto nos. 2, 3
- Chopin Concerto nos. 1, 2
- Ravel Concerto in G major
- Saint-Saens Concerto no. 2
Travel arrangements
Flights
Cape Piano will offer all 30 competitors:
- Return international air travel from national hubs to Cape Town
- Secure in-country transportation related to competition activities
Accommodation
Participants will be provided with either:
- 3–4-star hotel accommodation, or
- Host-family accommodation in Stellenbosch and Cape Town for the duration of the competition
Privacy rights
By registering for the competition, candidates authorise the Cape Town International Piano Competition NPC (Reg: 2025/613068/08) (“Cape Piano”) to use, at its discretion, personal data, photographs, and audio-visual recordings submitted or produced during the event. This includes online distribution of competition rounds (see privacy form accompanying the application).
Cape Piano retains full ownership of all audio-visual material it produces and holds exclusive commercial and non-commercial rights thereto.
Additional Contractual Obligations
The Cape Piano Prize Winner agrees to honour all contractual commitments made by the Foundation with partner organisations, locally and internationally, for the purpose of promoting the artist’s career.
Within 3 months of the prize being awarded, the winner must formally accept the performance engagements already arranged by Cape Piano management.
Tickets
Ticket availability and booking information will be published at a later date.