8th Steinway Youth Piano Competition 2027
For young pianists in Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei
Your Next Stage in Music
Every young pianist has a musical voice to develop and share. We welcome pianists aged 17 and under from Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei to the 8th Steinway Youth Piano Competition—a chance to share your artistry and take the next step in your musical journey. Please check the eligibility requirements below before applying.
Selected finalists will take to the stage at SOTA Concert Hall in Singapore on 25 June 2027, as we celebrate promising young piano talents from all three countries.
Your competition journey begins with the selection process for your country. Results are determined separately for Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei, with one Grand Prize winner from each country advancing to the
Steinway Regional Finals.
Applications open 6 November 2026 and close 31 January 2027.
KEY DATES AT A GLANCE
Professional Category
Applications – all three countries
6 November – 31 January 2027
Video Submissions – the Philippines and Brunei only
Submit your audition video between 6 November 2026 and 31 January 2027
Live preliminary auditions—Singapore participants
Attend a live audition on 15–16 March 2027 at the Music Studio at Victoria Concert Hall. Singapore participants do not submit an audition video.
Grand Finals
25 June 2027, SOTA Concert Hall, Singapore. Grand Finals results will be announced on the same day.
Three countries. Clear pathways.
Singapore
Begin with a live preliminary audition at the Music Studio at Victoria Concert Hall on 15–16 March 2027. Up to three pianists from each age category will be invited to compete at the Grand Finals in Singapore.
The Philippines
Begin by sharing your performance through a video audition. First, Second and Third Prizes in each age category are awarded at this stage. The First Prize winner in each category will be invited to the Grand Finals in Singapore; Second and Third Prize winners do not advance to the Grand Finals.
Brunei
Begin by sharing your performance through a video audition. First, Second and Third Prizes in each age category are awarded at this stage. The First Prize winner in each category will be invited to the Grand Finals in Singapore; Second and Third Prize winners do not advance to the Grand Finals.
Up to 15 young pianists will take to the stage at SOTA Concert Hall in Singapore on 25 June 2027. Results will be determined separately for Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei, with no combined ranking across the three countries. For the Philippines and Brunei, the three age-category First Prize winners from each country will compete for their country’s Grand Prize. Each Grand Prize winner will represent their country at the Steinway Regional Finals.
If you are selected for the Grand Finals, attendance in Singapore is compulsory. Please plan for an additional finals fee of SGD 400, as well as your own travel and accommodation costs.
Steinway regional finals
The Steinway Regional Finals bring together young pianists representing the following countries and markets: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea (Seoul), Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand and Vietnam.
At the Steinway Regional Finals, ten contestants will compete for a coveted spot at the International Steinway Festival in September 2027—an opportunity to share their artistry on an international stage.
eligibility & age categories
We welcome pianists aged 17 and below who are citizens or permanent residents of Singapore, the Philippines or Brunei. Please enter for a country of which you are a citizen or permanent resident. Your age category is based on your age on 31 December 2027.
Professional Class
Categories
- Category 1 – Ages 11 and below — born on or after 1 January 2016.
- Category 2 – Ages 12–14 — born between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015, inclusive.
- Category 3 – Ages 15–17 — born between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012, inclusive.
Repertoire and Performance requirements
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Number of works: Choose up to three contrasting works for your programme.
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Mandatory Sonata movement: Include the first movement of a Sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Clementi or Schubert. If you are entering Category 1, you may present a Sonatina movement instead.
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Duration: Keep your total performance time within 20 minutes.
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Memory and repertoire consistency: Perform all works strictly from memory, using exactly the same repertoire at every stage—including preliminary auditions, video submissions where applicable, and the Grand Finals.
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Restrictions: Original compositions, improvisations, concertos and transcriptions are not permitted.
* Choice of pieces must be clearly indicated on the application form.
* All pertinent program details (Composer, Work, Key, Op., No., Hob., K.designations) for each movement of the work intended for performance must be listed
competition prizes
Professional category
First, Second and Third Prizes recognise achievement in each age category, with awards determined separately for Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei. For the Philippines and Brunei, age-category prizes are awarded at the video-audition stage. Only the First Prize winner in each category advances to the Grand Finals, where the three category winners from each country compete for their country’s Grand Prize and a place at the Steinway Regional Finals.
Category 1 - Ages 11 and below (i.e. born on or after January 1 2016)
First Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Second Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Third Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Category 2 - Ages 12 to 14 (Born between January 1 2013 and December 31 2015, inclusive)
First Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Second Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Third Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Category 3 - Ages 15 to 17 (Born between January 1 2010 and December 31 2012, inclusive)
First Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Second Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Third Prize
Trophy & Certificate of Recognition
Grand Prize: One Grand Prize will be awarded per country at the Grand Finals. The winners will represent Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei respectively at the Steinway Regional Finals.
Advisory committee
Benjamin Loh is a distinguished Singaporean pianist, educator and adjudicator, and is a Steinway Artist and Steinway Honorary Professor. He holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under Dr. Marc Silverman.
An established figure in music education, he has conducted masterclasses and lectures across Asia, Europe and the United States. His students have won prizes at local and international competitions and continued their studies at leading institutions including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Royal College of Music, Mozarteum University and École Normale de Musique de Paris.
He has served on the juries of numerous international piano competitions, including Steinway Youth Piano Competitions in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. He has also held senior academic and advisory roles in Singapore’s music community, including Head of Music at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Vice-President of the Singapore Music Teachers Association.
BENJAMIN LOH
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
how to apply
Applications are open from 6 November 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Ready to take part? Complete the online application form and pay the registration fee for your country when you apply.
Registration fees per participant
- Singapore: SGD 400 per participant
- Philippines: SGD 250 per participant
- Brunei: SGD 250 per participant
Planning for the Grand Finals
If you are selected, attendance in Singapore is compulsory. Please budget for an additional finals fee of SGD 400 per finalist and your own travel and accommodation costs.
Please review the eligibility requirements and competition rules before applying, as all registration fees
are non-refundable.
You can pay securely through Stripe as part of the online application.
Before you begin, please enable pop-ups in your browser so the payment page can open correctly.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can participate in the competition?
Young pianists who meet the competition’s age and eligibility requirements are welcome to participate.
- Who can enter for each country?
Participants must be a citizen or permanent resident of the country you enter for and meet the published age requirements.
- How is the participant’s age determined?
The participant’s age is determined based on their date of birth as of 31 December 2026
- Do participants from the Philippines and Brunei need to travel to Singapore for preliminary auditions?
No. Preliminary auditions will be conducted through video submissions.
- What pieces should participants prepare?
Participants must prepare a programme of up to 20 minutes, with a maximum of three pieces. The first piece must be the first movement of a Sonata, followed by two contrasting pieces. Participants below 11 years old may perform a Sonatina instead of a Sonata.
- Do participants need to memorise their pieces?
Participants are required to perform from memory.
-Can participants change their repertoire after registration or between stages?
Participants are NOT allowed to change your repertoire once you have registered. Please choose your programme with every stage in mind: you must perform exactly the same repertoire throughout the competition, strictly from memory.
- Do all prize winners from the Philippines and Brunei attend the Grand Finals?
Only the First Prize winner in each age category advances to the Grand Finals. First, Second and Third Prizes are awarded at the video-audition stage. At the Grand Finals, the three category winners from each country compete for their country’s Grand Prize. The Grand Prize winner will represent their country at the Steinway Regional Finals. Second and Third Prize winners do not advance to the Grand Finals.
- If I am selected, do I need to travel to Singapore?
Yes. All selected finalists must attend the Grand Finals on 25 June 2027. Please budget for an additional finals fee of SGD 400 and your own travel and accommodation costs.
- When are the Grand Finals results announced?
Results will be announced on the day of the Grand Finals, 25 June 2027.
rules and regulations
- The Professional Category is open to citizens or permanent residents of Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei aged 17 and below, based on the participant’s age on 31 December 2027. Participants must enter for a country of which they are a citizen or permanent resident.
- A previous SYPC category winner may not enter the same age category again. The participant may enter a higher age category only if permitted by the published competition requirements.
- Steinway Gallery Singapore reserves the right to verify eligibility and application information, amend the competition schedule or format where necessary, and substitute, withdraw, add to or alter prizes. Material changes will be communicated to affected participants.
- The jury’s decisions are final. No correspondence concerning the results or adjudication will be entered into.
- Up to 15 finalists will be selected separately by country: up to nine from Singapore, comprising up to three in each age category; and up to three each from the Philippines and Brunei, comprising the First Prize winner in each age category. The actual number selected may be fewer if the required competition standard is not met. Participants from different countries will not compete against one another.
- First, Second and Third Prizes are available in every age category in each country. For the Philippines and Brunei, these prizes are determined at the video-audition stage. Only the First Prize winners advance to the Grand Finals, where they compete across age categories for their respective country’s Grand Prize.
- Attendance at the Grand Finals in Singapore is compulsory for selected finalists. An additional finals fee of SGD 400 applies per finalist. Finalists are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs. Grand Finals results will be announced on the same day.
- Participants must present no more than three contrasting works, with a total performance time not exceeding 20 minutes. The programme must include the first movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Clementi or Schubert; Category 1 participants may alternatively present a sonatina movement.
- All works must be performed strictly from memory, and exactly the same repertoire must be used at every stage. Original compositions, improvisations, concertos and transcriptions are not permitted.
- Following the Grand Finals, one Grand Prize winner from each country will represent Singapore, the Philippines or Brunei respectively at the Steinway Regional Finals.
Video submission guidelines
Applicable to participants from the Philippines and Brunei.
|Your video is your opportunity to share your performance with the jury. Before you record, please work through the checklist below and ensure that every requirement is met.
- Disable audible alerts and notifications on the recording device and minimise all other potential distractions.
- Ensure that the recording device is fully charged and has sufficient storage capacity.
- Any parent, guardian, teacher or other person present during the recording must remain silent, stay outside the camera frame and avoid distracting movement.
- No assistance, direction, prompting, or other intervention is permitted once the recording begins.
- The complete performance must be captured in one continuous, unedited audio-visual recording.
Camera Positioning
Record in landscape orientation. The camera must remain fixed throughout the performance and must clearly show the participant, the piano and the music stand, if used.
Ensure that:
- The participant’s face remains visible throughout the performance, either facing the camera or in profile.
- The recording provides clear and balanced audio that represents the performance accurately .
- The participant remains the primary focus of the recording at all times.
Piano Recording Requirements
For piano performances, the camera should be positioned so that:
- The pianist, keyboard, and hands are clearly visible throughout the performance.
- The full keyboard is visible at all times.
- The pedals should be visible whenever possible.
- The camera angle allows adjudicators to observe the participant’s technique, posture, hand movement, and pedal usage without obstruction.
In situations where room layout or acoustics require the recording device to be positioned further away to achieve the best possible sound quality, the participant must still remain clearly visible throughout the performance.
Before Recording
1. At the beginning of the recording, before commencing your performance, please clearly state:
- Your full name
- Examination subject and grade
- The title, composer, and syllabus list number (where applicable) of each piece/song, presented in performance order.
After the spoken introduction, the participant must perform the complete submitted programme without interruption. The performance repertoire must match the repertoire stated in the application.
Video Requirements
- Record in landscape orientation
- Minimum resolution: Full HD (1080p)
- Title of the work
- Opening clef(s), key signature, and time signature
- Tempo marking and any relevant performance indications
- Several lines of the musical score
After Recording
- Video Title: 8thSYPC_<FULLNAME>
- Video Description:
- Participant’s full name
- Age and Competition category
- Complete repertoire, including composer, work title, key and catalogue or opus number, where applicable
Important: The video must remain accessible throughout the adjudication period. Check that the link is correct and that the privacy setting permits anyone with the link to view it. Do not delete, replace or edit the uploaded video after submission.
For any Enquiries, please contact us at Steinway.sypc@steinway-gallery.com.sg
The competition
The Steinway Youth Piano Competition encourages promising young pianists as they develop their artistry, offering a platform to share their music during the formative stages of their musical journey.
In 2027, we welcome young pianists from Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei, with a separate competition pathway for each country. Finalists will come together at SOTA Concert Hall in Singapore, where one Grand Prize winner from each country will be selected to advance to the Steinway Southeast Asia Regional Finals.
About international Steinway Festival
The International Steinway Festival is a biennial event organised by Steinway & Sons in Hamburg, Germany. It brings together outstanding young pianists and supports their musical development through performance and cultural exchange.
First held in 1987, the International Steinway Festival offers young pianists from participating countries the opportunity to perform in Hamburg without the pressure of a further competition. The festival concert is the principal artistic highlight of the programme.
International Steinway FEstival photos
