Nicolas Namoradze performs on the piano at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition.
The Honens International Piano Competition is a triennial classical piano competition held in Calgary, Canada that awards prizes in classical piano performance.
In addition to monetary awards, the top prize winner receives access to a career development program that includes concert engagements, a recording, management, and a Banff Centre residency.[1][2] It is the world's wealthiest piano competition, awarding some of the largest monetary prizes in the classical piano competition circuit.[3] As of 2025, the cash prizes total just under $190,000.00 CAD; the total value of the awards (including the Artist Development Program) is worth nearly $700,000.00 CAD.
Founding
In 1991, Esther Honens, a Canadian philanthropist, entrepreneur, and amateur pianist, created a $5 million endowment to host an international piano competition in her hometown of Calgary.[4] Terminally, ill, she was nonetheless able to watch the inaugaral competition in 1992 from a specially built box in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. She died shortly afterwards.[5]
Competition Format
Fifty quarterfinalists are chosen from a pool of international applicants. The quarterfinals are held in New York[6] and Germany; ten pianists are selected to move on to semifinals in Calgary. These are then narrowed down to three finalists[7] who complete for a monetary awards and a three-year career development program[8] that includes artist management, international orchestral performances,[9] production of professional recordings, and mentorship opportunities.
During the competition, contestants collaborate in performances with other musicians in chamber and vocal settings and concerto performances, in addition to playing self-programmed solo recitals, and participate in individual filmed interviews.[10] Juries have typically mostly included active concert pianists, as well as representatives of music management.[11] Competitors are encouraged to showcase themselves and their own artistry.[12]
The competition has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions since 1998.[13] Steinway & Sons is the official sponsor of the competition,[14] and in recent years has become the sole provider of instruments to the competition stage, offering a selection of Model D (concert grand pianos) from both the company's New York and Hamburg factories.
Festival
Since 2014 the Competition has expanded to include a festival taking place in a variety of indoor and outdoor Calgary venues each year.[15][16] The Honens Festival and Piano Competition earned a White Hat of the Year award from Tourism Calgary in 2015.[17]
Laureates
The Honens International Piano Competition named between three and five Laureates up to and including its 2009 competition. In 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022, the competition used a sole Prize Laureate system. Starting in 2025, the three finalists were named as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Laureates.[11]
1992
Yi Wu (pianist)|Yi Wu, Argentina/China
Krzysztof Jablonski (musician)|Krzysztof Jablonski, Poland
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