Piano
Kent Festival Junior Pianist of the Year
The First Prize of £40 will be awarded to the most promising performer of the day from Kent. To be eligible, candidates must have entered TWO solo competitive classes plus one other, or have been awarded the Whitstable or Ramsey cup. A prize of £25 will be awarded to the runner-up.
Kent Festival Pianist of the Year (13 - 19 Years)
A BURSARY AWARD OF £80 and the Hudson-Peacock Cup will be awarded to the most promising performer of the day from Kent. To be eligible, candidates must have entered TWO solo classes plus one other. The CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY second prize is £40. The winner will be invited to play in the Music at St Peter’s concert series in May 2025.
The Jacob Barnes Award for piano in chamber music.
A further substantial bursary towards participation in a renowned chamber music course is available to a pianist who demonstrates significant ability and interest in making music with other. Age limit : 21 years.
Please note that if insufficient entries are received in any of the classes where a cup is specified, the committee reserves the right to re-allocate the cups. In the event of insufficient entries, classes may be combined.
Letter from Spencer Payne & Stephen Dandridge
Welcome to the annual Kent Festival Piano Classes for 2025. It gives us great pleasure to introduce our syllabus for this year. Most items remain unchanged except for the Open Concerto Class (£25 award) and the ‘Etude’ class (token award). Some of you may know about the late Jacob Barnes together with his extensive contributions to the festival in recent years, and to this end we are pleased to announce that there is a further award for a pianist who demonstrates significant ability in Chamber Music.
In addition, participants may wish to try their hand at the quick study, improvisation and piano accompaniment classes, a number of which seek to encourage ensemble playing amongst pianists. With the range of Junior and Senior classes being as extensive and accessible as ever, it would be wonderful if both new and existing participants could join us in a real celebration of the piano and its music making. With our adjudicator, all participants are assured of quality advice and great support throughout the day. So, whether you are a soloist, duettist, accompanist or composer, do come and join us for an excellent day of music making. Parents & friends are, of course, very welcome to join us at any time.
We look forward to seeing you all in November.
Spencer Payne & Stephen Dandridge
Piano Syllabus
Saturday 8th November – All Day
Junior Classes (am) & Senior Classes (pm)
all at St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury
Adjudicator: Anyssa Neumann
Closing date for entries: 12/10/2025
Please look towards the end of the class numbers in the syllabus to find details of current ‘Composer Anniversary Classes’ in the Junior and Senior sections.
Committee- Piano Section
Chairman (Seniors): Spencer Payne
Chairman (Juniors): Stephen Dandridge
Vice-Chair: Lorraine Spiro
Entries: Stephen Dandridge
Treasurer: Marjorie Grove
Trophies: Marjorie Grove
We would like to thank the Head of St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury for allowing us to use the premises, and for help and co-operation. We would also like to thank those individuals and organizations who give prizes for many of the classes. Full details will be given in the programme.
...do come and join us for an excellent day of music making
