Addressing the Gender Gap in Piano Competitions

In last Wednesday’s (3/20) Guardian (U.K.), Fiona Sinclair, CEO of the Leeds International Piano Competition, writes, “Just over a month ago a hard-hitting report about misogyny in music was published by the UK parliamentary women and equalities committee. The report contained personal accounts that showed not only that inequality is still pervasive in the world of classical music, but that women are enduring an unacceptable level of sexual abuse and harassment … As a woman CEO of a female-founded music competition, the resonance of gender inequality strikes a particularly discordant note. Our journey began with a poignant moment in the 2021 edition of the Leeds international piano competition, when all five finalists were male…. Peering into our own history, only two of our first prize-winners have been women in 20 competitions. Across the sphere of piano competitions, the same pattern emerges…. The violin world reveals a striking contrast, where women claim 75% of first prizes. It’s tempting to use this to dispel any notion of inherent gender bias in classical music. But it still begs the question: why does the piano carry a different tune? And more importantly, what can we do to orchestrate a more equitable future?”