70 Venues, 150 Pianists, 500 Concerts

WFIMC: Can you briefly tell us the idea behind and history of the Steinway Prizewinner Concerts?

Ann-Paulin Steigerwald: It is no secret that even the most celebrated artists were once young and unknown: one of the most exciting areas of the music world is where careers begin. Talent is always present; it only needs time to grow and develop. In competitions, artists find platforms to present themselves, to perform, to gain experience, and to establish their name.

As always, the target group is the audience. One can encounter audience hesitation if the artist is unknown. The resultant fame from competitions may not always spread beyond the competition’s region, therefore concert promoters often refrain from programming young artists.

In order to provide opportunity, Steinway developed the Steinway Prizewinner Concerts Network (SPCN). The Network connects piano competitions, concert organizers, festivals, orchestras and broadcasting companies. Steinway selects and recommends prizewinners. With its global reputation and credibility, Steinway strives to deliver young talent to the audience. 
In 2007, it was the innovative Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra that first picked up the concept by presenting three prizewinners of eminent piano competitions that season and thus became the hub of an international network to come. The first concert was performed by Anna Vinnitskaya, who had won the Queen Elisabeth competition in Brussels that year. For the tenth anniversary in 2017, she returned to play the jubilee concert. By then, she was an internationally highly celebrated concert pianist. She stands as an example for many of the 150 pianists so far who have found new audiences with their debuts at 70 venues. Among those are the luminaries the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonies in Luxemburg and Paris, and concert houses in Brussels, Athens, Seoul, Cyprus, Dubai and many more. Today, the SPCN is present in 19 countries on three continents — and continuously growing.

How many of these concerts are happening this year?

Over 60 concerts will take place in the 2024–25 season, including concert tours in South Korea, as well as the longtime series at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Sendesaal in Hanover. Newly established series are presented at Dubai Opera, Bergson Kulturkraftwerk and Ladbroke Hall London. We are immensely delighted that they have joined the network and particularly seek to offer young, up-and-coming talent a stage — and provide their audiences with the opportunity to get to know them.

Each of the more than 500 Prizewinner Concerts thus far has verified the prizewinners’ talent and gave a preview of their artistic trajectories. These “artists of tomorrow” are actually artists of today. With the Prizewinner Concerts, Steinway’s message to audiences everywhere is: Why wait to meet these artists until after everyone is already talking about how great they are?

How do you select artists for this series? Are there any specifics for potential programs?

We are here in an advisory capacity: attention and exposure are the most important things for pianists after winning a competition in order to build up their concert experience. By recommending them to important promoters within the network, they have the opportunity to present their skills in concert and gain an audience. The promoter, in turn, knows its audience best and, in close consultation, we factor in their wishes and preferences, also in regards to the program. It goes without saying that the Steinway Prizewinners are given the opportunity to present their personality and chosen repertoire. It is all about bringing the right people together, and here Steinway acts as a mediator and coordinator.