University News Last updated 30 October
Junior RBC piano student Max Walsh won first prize at the 2025 Wales International Piano Festival Junior Competition recently.
The Wales International Piano Festival took place from Thursday 16 – Monday 20 October, and is often frequented by pianists from specialist music schools and conservatoires across the UK.
In the competition’s preliminary round, Max played Scarlatti’s Sonata in D major and Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, attracting attention from the competition’s organisers and fellow pianists.
His version of Kapustin’s Prelude followed by the Fifth Piano Sonata by Alexander Scriabin required skilled focus.
Max’s peer, Aurora Chan, also picked up a win at the festival, being named the most promising pianist not to reach the final round.
Competition adjudicator Chenyin Li said: “Max set the bar extremely high from the moment he started playing. He was the first finalist to play, and nobody could match his performance thereafter.”
Junior RBC Tutor Jan Loeffler added: “I couldn’t be prouder of Max and Aurora. Max gave the performance of his life – confident, mature and musically thrilling. Aurora played with such poise, elegance and intelligence. Both represented the Junior Department with distinction, and it’s wonderful to see their hard work and musicianship recognised at such a high level.”
Max reflected: “Competing in the festival was an incredible experience. It was wonderful to meet the competitors, who became my good friends over the course of the weekend. I appreciated having Jan there to support me, and it was testament to his teaching and the support I have received at Junior RBC that I was selected as a finalist.
“Winning the competition, having played Scriabin’s Fifth Sonata, meant the world to me, as it is my personal favourite piece of music. I enjoyed my performance – Everything felt natural and I could completely lose myself in the music.”
Pictured: (l-r) Jan Loeffler and Max Walsh.