Steinway Piano Competition 2025

At Saturday’s final of the Third Ashford School Steinway Piano Competition we heard 17 young pianists play a range of piano music from beginners level to technically challenging pieces.

While the scores were adjudicated by Mr Tau Wey, pianist and Ashford School Alumna, Jane Wisely, gave an inspiring performance of French piano music.

A warmly supportive audience of parents and teachers enjoyed the musical fruits of the many hundreds of combined hours of practice, as pianists from primary and secondary schools in and around Ashford performed their competition level pieces.

Maia, who won the Foundation Category said: “I played Danse Macabre and I absolutely loved it! It’s such a dramatic piece – it tells a spooky story about skeletons dancing at midnight!

“There were some tricky parts, especially with the rhythm changes – it was fun working on different moods, like when it gets softer or when the skeletons start dancing faster!

“I’ve been playing since I was five years old – so about five years now. I started because I’ve always felt music inside, even before I could play. It’s kind of like it’s in my bones! I usually practice every day for at least 30 minutes, and more when I’m preparing for something big. It’s hard because I also play violin and flute!

“My teacher is Mrs Skinner. She doesn’t just help me play, she teaches me all the theory too. It helps me play better because I really understand the music. I was definitely nervous at first, but I had a really good masterclass just before the competition with Mr Dandridge and Mrs Hall, and they gave me some brilliant advice. I worked really hard afterwards, I was going over their feedback again and again to improve little details. That made me feel much more confident and once I sat down at the grand piano, I focused on the story and forgot about the nerves.

“I’d love to enter next year’s competition. I do have an idea of what piece I want to play, but I think I’ll keep it a secret for now. I want to surprise everyone!”

Florence, who won the Intermediate Category said: “The piece I chose is called “Remember  Me”, it is from the film ‘Coco’. I chose this piece  as it was one of  the pieces I learnt for my Grade 1 exam and found it a really enjoyable piece to play.
“I always wanted to play the piano and finally got the chance when I started here at Ashford School.

“My teacher is Mrs Hall, she really inspired me to get involved in the different musical events that happen throughout the year and encouraged me to enter for the competition as I was a bit nervous at first. I really enjoyed the competition and look forward to entering  next year.

“I would say to someone wanting to learn the piano that you can start learning at any age and is a skill that you will have forever.”

Harwin, who was runner up in the Advanced Category, adds: “The piano is an incredibly versatile instrument with access to a Treble and Bass part. Its ability of accurate dynamic control, conventional chord playing and unlimited potential for musical expression is what sets it apart from other instruments for me.

“I’d say that my ‘piano hero’ is Mr. Dandridge: my teacher. He paved the way for my success in piano playing through delicate and ‘perfectionist’ refining, whilst motivating my musical determination to strive forwards and to achieve even higher. Famous pianists I also admire are: Yunchan Lim (winner of 2022 Cliburn Competition), Aristo Sham (winner of 2025 Cliburn Competition), Arthur Rubenstein, Vladmir Horowitz, Lang Lang, and Evgeny Kissin.

“I usually practise piano before school (7:50-8:20) in the morning, during lunch (1:20-1:40), and for 1-2 hours once I get home. Personally, I believe it’s important to maintain quality across your whole repertoire, so my practice is equally divided between competition and standard playing.
“The Kent Piano Festival and Kent International Piano Course are marked on my calendar. And the 2026 Ashford School Steinway Competition is something I’ll definitely participate in.”

Congratulations to Isabelle, who attends Highworth Grammar School, she took first prize in the Advanced category. Congratulations also go to Apollo, Florence and Maia who won the Beginners, Intermediate and Foundation categories respectively.

The winners in each category played the following pieces:

• Apollo – ‘Waltz in B Minor’ – Schubert
• Florence – ‘Remember Me’ – Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
• Maia – ‘Danse Macabre’ – Saint-Saëns
• Isabelle – ‘Scherzo Op. 20, No.1’ – Chopin

Ashford School pupil, Florence, who won the Intermediate category said:  “The piece I played is called “Remember  Me” and comes from the Disney film ‘Coco’. I chose this piece  as it was one of my pieces I learnt for my Grade 1 exam and found it a really enjoyable piece to play. I have always wanted to play the piano and finally got the chance when I started at Ashford. Mrs Hall really inspired me to get involved in the musical events that happen throughout the year and encouraged me to enter the competition as I was a bit nervous at first. I really enjoyed the competition and will look forward to entering  next year.” Florence added: “I would say to someone wanting to learn the piano, that ‘you can start learning at any age and is a skill that you can have forever’.”

Harwin, another pupil at Ashford School, who was runner up in the Advanced Category said: “The piano is an incredibly versatile instrument with access to both Treble and Bass parts. Its ability of accurate dynamic control, conventional chord playing and unlimited potential for musical expression is what sets it apart from other instruments.

My personal ‘Piano Hero’ is Mr. Dandridge: my teacher. He paved the way for my success in piano playing through his delicate and ‘perfectionist’ refining, whilst motivating my musical determination to strive forwards to achieve even greater results. Famous pianists I admire are: Yunchan Lim (winner of 2022 Cliburn Competition), Aristo Sham (winner of 2025 Cliburn Competition), Arthur Rubenstein, Vladmir Horowitz, Lang Lang, and Evgeny Kissin.

I usually practice for 30 minutes every morning before school, 20 minutes during lunch break, and for 1-2 hours once I get home. Personally, I believe it’s important to maintain quality in all your repertoire, so my practice is equally divided between competition level and standard playing.

Next on my competition calendar are The Kent Piano Festival and Kent International Piano Course. And the 2026 Ashford Steinway Piano competition next year is something I’ll definitely participate in.