Trinity-Steinway Scholarship finalists announced

This week, 21 Trinity students, from First Year through to Upper Sixth, have taken part in auditions for the 2026-27 Trinity-Steinway Scholarship. With so many talented pianists hoping to secure the prestigious award, a new audition format was introduced this year, including a recital at St Mildred’s Church, before three finalists were selected to perform at the Royal College of Music next week.

Following individual auditions and Tuesday evening’s “epic” Senior Piano Concert (where 28 students performed, 21 of them auditioning), eight pianists were selected to perform in a special lunchtime recital at St Mildred’s Church on Thursday.

Congratulations to Harun (Third Year), Noah (Fifth Year), Ellis (Upper Sixth), Lucian (Fifth Year), Orpheus (Second Year), Josh (Lower Sixth), Alex (Second Year) and Lily (Lower Sixth), who all delivered wonderful performances.

The recital was well attended by members of the local community, with students receiving enthusiastic feedback on their playing. Mr Richard Evans, Head of Piano, was delighted with the addition of this public performance to the scholarship selection process.

“It was such a positive move to include this recital in the process this year,” he said. “It was well attended by the community, and the students received such positive feedback, it’s certainly something we should do more frequently.”

With every pianist demonstrating technical confidence and considerable expressiveness, selecting just three finalists was no easy task. Mr Evans was particularly impressed by the confidence and maturity of the performances, with Lower Sixth student Lily delivering an especially expressive recital.

We are delighted to announce that Ellis (Upper Sixth), Lily (Lower Sixth) and Josh (Lower Sixth) will now progress to the final audition at the Royal College of Music on Monday 19 October, where they will perform for Professor Vanessa Latarche, Head of Keyboard, who will select this year’s Trinity-Steinway Scholar.

The annual Trinity-Steinway Scholarship offers an exceptional opportunity for a young pianist to develop their musicianship through specialist tuition, masterclasses and performance opportunities, including a recital at London’s Steinway Hall. Trinity became London’s first All-Steinway School in 2012 and has a thriving piano community, supported by 25 Steinway pianos and a dedicated Steinway Suite in the Music Department.

As Mr Evans put it, “It’s going to be a fascinating final.”

We wish Ellis, Lily and Josh the very best of luck and congratulate all 21 students who took part in this year’s auditions!