Birmingham International Piano Festival

Birmingham International Piano Festival
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026
Date and time
14 - 18 Jun 2026 11am - 9pm
Location

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Map and Directions

Price

Festival ticket £35

FREE TICKETS FOR BCU STUDENTS AND STAFF

Use your BCU email address at the checkout to automatically activate your complimentary ticket. Subject to availability.

No promo code is needed, unless otherwise communicated. If you have any queries regarding your booking, please contact the Events Team.

Booking Information

Wheelchair users are entitled to a complimentary companion seat.

You can book a free companion ticket by selecting the seat next to yours on the seating plan.

Or, for unreserved seating plans, add a second ticket to your basket.
If you wish to discuss your accessibility needs with a member of our team, please call 0121 331 5909.

Assistance dogs are welcome at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire venues. If you wish to bring an assistance dog, please let the Events Office know by calling 0121 331 5909.

Pianist Sir Stephen Hough

Join us for the 2026 Birmingham International Piano Festival at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, a five-day celebration of the piano which begins with a free-to-attend Community Piano Day. 

A celebrity concert from world-renowned pianist Sir Stephen Hough (pictured) is an undoubted highlight and the Festival is packed with special guest recitals and public masterclasses by leading national and international tutors. 

The long-established Birmingham International Piano Competition comprises twenty Young Artists’ Recitals across the five days, and former winner Domonkos Csabay returns to give a guest recital and receive an Honorary RBC Award.

Sunday 14 June - Community Piano Day

11am-7pm

Birmingham International Piano Festival gets underway with a full day of music.  There are recitals by  Klaus Sticken (Professor of Piano, Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna) and Roman Kosyakov (RBC Piano Tutor and First Prize 2018 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition), and a masterclass by Daniel Browell (Associate Head of the Department of Keyboard Studies, RBC).  And the first four 50 minute Young Artists’ Recitals mark the start of the Birmingham International Piano Competition.

Events are free to attend but booking is required.  A £30 Participant Ticket is also available if you’d like a 30 minute one-to-one lesson.

See Community Piano Day full details and tickets


Monday 15 June

10am-1pm – Recital Hall
Celebrity Public Piano Masterclass: Karl-Heinz Simon, Dean of Keyboard Studies, Dresden

Details and tickets

2pm, 3pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm – Recital Hall

Young Artists’ Recitals

Book your free ticket

7pm – The Bradshaw Hall

Two Piano Gala

Music by Chopin, Bolcom and Skryabin performed by Florentine and Marie Lehnert, and Simon Nicholls and Da-Hee Kim

Details and tickets


Tuesday 16 June

10am-12pm – Recital Hall

Celebrity Masterclass: Professor Klaus Sticken, Professor of Piano, Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna

Details and tickets

1pm, 2pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm – Recital Hall

Young Artists’ Recitals

Book your free ticket 

7pm – The Bradshaw Hall

Celebrity Recital: Andreas Frölich, Professor of Piano Hochschule Cologne and Yehudi Menuhin School

Details and tickets

Wed 17 June

10am-1pm – Recital Hall

Celebrity Masterclass: Andreas Frölich, Professor of Piano Hochschule Cologne and Yehudi Menuhin School

Book your free ticket

2pm-4pm – Recital Hall

Celebrity Masterclass: Pascal Nemirovski, International Chair, RBC

Details and tickets

4.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm, 7.30pm – Recital Hall

Young Artists’ Recitals

Book your free ticket 

Thursday 18 June

10.30am – Recital Hall

Domonkos Csabay – Recital

The First Prize winner of the 2016 Birmingham International Piano Competition plays Chopin Preludes

Details and tickets

11.30am-1.30pm – Recital Hall

Public Celebrity Masterclass: Sir Stephen Hough (pictured above)

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2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm – Recital Hall

Young Artists’ Recitals – Results announced

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7pm – The Bradshaw Hall

Celebrity Recital: Sir Stephen Hough

The incomparable Sir Stephen Hough, arguably Britain’s finest living pianist, draws the Birmingham International Piano Festival to a close with a sparkling recital of Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann and more.

Details and tickets

Photo © Sim Canetty-Clarke

Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

Events include:

BIPF: Community Piano Day

Sun 14 Jun 2026 - 11am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Young Artists’ Recitals

Mon 15 Jun 2026 - 2pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Two Piano Gala

Mon 15 Jun 2026 - 7pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Piano Masterclass - Karl-Heinz Simon

Mon 15 Jun 2026 - 10am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Young Artists’ Recitals

Tue 16 Jun 2026 - 1pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Recital - Andreas Frölich

Tue 16 Jun 2026 - 7pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Masterclass - Klaus Sticken

Tue 16 Jun 2026 - 10am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Masterclass - Andreas Froelich

Wed 17 Jun 2026 - 10am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Young Artists’ Recitals

Wed 17 Jun 2026 - 4.30pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Masterclass - Pascal Nemirovski

Wed 17 Jun 2026 - 2pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Domonkos Csabay - Recital

Thu 18 Jun 2026 - 10.30am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Sir Stephen Hough Masterclass

Thu 18 Jun 2026 - 11.30am
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Young Artists’ Recitals

Thu 18 Jun 2026 - 2pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026

BIPF: Celebrity Recital - Sir Stephen Hough

Thu 18 Jun 2026 - 7pm
Birmingham International Piano Festival 2026