LEEDS — Sir Stephen Hough will serve as the artistic director for the relaunched Leeds International Piano Competition, overseeing its 2027 event. The triennial contest began in 1963 and will implement several changes under his direction, including an upper age limit of 35 and complete freedom for competitors in choosing the music they perform.

As artistic director, Sir Stephen will chair an international jury that includes pianists Piotr Anderszewski, Lucas Debargue, Yeol Eum Son, and Kathryn Stott, alongside composer Errollyn Wallen, who holds the title Master of the King's Music. Finalists in the concerto round will submit three piano concertos of their choice for performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Principal conductor Domingo Hindoyan, Sir Stephen, and one fellow juror will determine which of the submitted concertos will be performed.

Sir Stephen said he did not typically desire to serve on juries or participate in competitions. "I never wanted to be on juries and I don't like competitions," he said in a podcast interview. "They can seem like a bunch of tests where you're trying to trip up the competitors. That's not what music's about. Too often competitions become like an extension of your final exam at music college. But, I thought, at Leeds, maybe there's something slightly different we can do here, and find a way to give younger musicians a platform to show us who they are."

Regarding the expanded age limit, Sir Stephen clarified his intent in the interview. "But I wanted to send a message to younger players saying there's not a rush about this," he said. "Don't feel that, you know, you have to compete suddenly before you get too old. You have time." Blind listening for the first round was introduced in 2024 and will continue for the 2027 competition. The main prize for the competition is £50,000, and additional awards will include prizes for contemporary music, the most outstanding encore, an audience prize, and a new Leeds Piano Trail prize for a community-focused project scheduled for development and delivery in 2028.

Sir Stephen was born on the Wirral and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. Previous winners of the competition include Radu Lupu, who won in 1969, and Murray Perahia. Anna Tsybuleva won in 2015. Sofya Gulyak and Anna Tsybuleva, both Russian-born, are the only two women to have won the competition. Eric Lu won the competition in 2018.