Hastings International Piano Festival finishes after two wonderful weeks

Some 168 international artists – including Rufus Wainwright, Guy Chambers, Reuben James, Claire Martin OBE, Rachel Portman OBE, Mark Kermode, Martin James Bartlett, The Puppini Sisters, The Dodge Brothers, The Swedish Trio, Liane Carroll, Neil Brand, The Pasadena Roof Orchestra and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – all performed at venues across the creative hub of Hastings.

A major success was the growth in young audiences across the region who were enabled to experience the festival with the under-21 ticket scheme, devised to provide free tickets for performances and a hugely popular free interactive piano concert for children. The music education programme gave more than 1,000 children a chance to attend youth workshops, performances and master-classes provided by many of the headline artists.

Curator and managing director of Hastings International Piano Festival Ian Roberts said: “What an amazing addition to the festival calendar this year’s event has now become. It was devised to showcase the versatility and importance of the piano across multi-genre performances and it has been a joy to welcome many of the world’s revered artistes to Hastings and witness memorable concerts and collaborations that both local audiences and those from far and wide have enjoyed. Our significant programme of more than 20 music education workshops and master-classes has created some exceptional performance opportunities for school children and young people and it has been uplifting to witness younger audiences attending a wide range of concerts and events.”

The 2020 festival took place from February 26 to March 8 to support the work of the prestigious Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, which is now biennial and returns in 2021 with the finals accompanied by the competition’s partner The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The next festival dates will be announced later this spring, in addition to the calendar of Hastings International Piano fundraising concerts.

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