Seattle International Piano Festival and Competition

10/12/2026

Why Participate in the Bach Festival International ?

Shop locally for fruits and vegetables—but for piano competitions, seek opinions beyond your backyard!

Here are some great reasons to participate:

1: Impartial judging: This festival is open to all participants from all around the world. However, the history shows that most come Washington State. This is why SIPF features judges from outside of the state.

2: Music for every level: From charming dances in the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook to brilliant Toccatas and Partitas, Bach offers something for everyone!

3: Develop hand independence:Nothing challenges the left hand to converse with the right quite like Bach's polyphonic masterpieces!

4: A clear path to progress: Bach's repertoire provides a systematic journey from beginner to advanced levels.

5: Perfect your performance: Like painters and sculptors, record your work until you achieve your best artistic result—without performance nerves spoiling your chances!

6: Use your recording again: Enter other competitions, festivals, and auditions with the same polished performance.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31!

It's time to start polishing your Bach!

JUDGES: Sean Yang (TX), Dominic Doutney (IL), Gabriel Merrill-Steskal (NM), Kelli Stephens (OR), Moyi Liu (AZ).

The Seattle International Piano Festival (SIPF) is proud to present for the fifteenth year the Bach Festival for local and regional pianists and instrumentalists

10/07/2026

Are you preparing for the Bach Festival?

There is hardly anything more educational for a music student than studying and mastering the music of J. S. Bach.

There is a level for everyone. Beginners can enjoy the charming dances of the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook. As students progress, the Two- and Three-Part Inventions develop extraordinary independence of the hands—and of the mind! Following several musical lines at once, while giving each its own expression, character, and color, is one of the finest exercises a young musician can experience.

And nothing develops an independent left hand quite like Bach!

Then comes the practical goal: prepare your very best recording and receive constructive feedback from experienced judges from outside Washington State.

That matters. Parents, teachers, and students should always look at who is judging a competition and where they come from. Independent adjudicators who do not know the students or their teachers help create a fair environment and minimize potential conflicts of interest. It is the most fair. Also, if you are a teacher-you do not have to worry about any sort of any other conflicts of interests that may make competitions a sour experience.

For groceries—shop local. For competitions—look for judges from afar 😊

Study Bach. Record your best. Get inspired. And see how far your musicianship can grow.

The Seattle International Piano Festival (SIPF) is proud to present for the fifteenth year the Bach Festival for local and regional pianists and instrumentalists

10/03/2026

OCTOBER 10 APPLICATION DEADLINE — DON’T MISS IT!

The inaugural Southwest Bach Piano Competition is coming to Scottsdale! Join us October 24, 2026, at the Steinway Gallery of Arizona for a new live SIPF competition devoted exclusively to the keyboard music of J.S. Bach.

🏆 $800 in cash prizes for youth divisions
🎖️ Medals & diplomas
📝 Written adjudications
🎹 Gold Medalist Masterclass — October 25
👥 Limited to 100 participants
🎼 Adjudicators: Dr. Minji Noh & Dr. Stephen Pierce

Can’t make it to Arizona? There’s another chance to enter! Our longstanding Bach Festival International (Online Edition) returns this fall, welcoming pianists and instrumentalists of all nationalities. The online application deadline is October 31.
Perform live. Participate online. Or enter both!
Full rules, repertoire requirements & applications:
Southwest Bach Piano Competition & Bach Festival International
https://www.seattlepianocompetition.org/nw-festivals/bach/

09/29/2026

Always look for the future:

The Bach Festival Int'l Online is coming up soon. If you do not like Online festivals, take a trip to sunny Arizona and apply for SW Bach Piano Competition in October.

Online Festivals will continue to dominate the competition world. Here are some main reasons: It is important to strive towards mastery of a recorded product. That is the only way you can polish your art work in a similar way to the way painters and sculpture artists do. You can also resubmit the same recording to various competitions, and you can use the same recording for any college, or festival admissions.

And let's not forget about the teachers themselves: in Online Competitions there is no option for other teacher to attract attention to themselves and directly or indirectly solicit your students. And things like that happen with regular frequency, causing lots of drama and resentment. Less stress, more benefits for all.

https://www.seattlepianocompetition.org/nw-festivals/bach/

09/28/2026

Congratulations to our Professional Artist Prizewinners!

The Professional Artist Final Round brought an extraordinary afternoon of music to Benaroya Hall, as six exceptional pianists took the stage at the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition. We are delighted to announce this year’s prizewinners:

🥇 Gold Medal — Cameron Akioka
🥈 Silver Medal — Seonghun Jeong
🥉 Bronze Medal — Jihee Moon

🏆 Henri-Paul Sicsic Memorial Prize — Cameron Akioka
🏆 President’s Prize — Trinity Fan — $1,000
🏆 Jim Miles Memorial Prize — Hanna Lee — $750

⭐ Audience Favorite — Seonghun Jeong
⭐ Teachers’ Favorite — Jihee Moon & Trinity Fan — Tie

The Jim Miles Memorial Prize was shared this year, with the second $750 award presented to Collegiate Artist Mariam Loladze-Meredith.

Congratulations to all six Professional Artist finalists for bringing such tremendous artistry, individuality, and musicianship to the Sonare stage. And congratulations to all of our 2026 Sonare prizewinners across every division! 🎶✨

09/28/2026

Congratulations to our Collegiate Artist Prizewinners!

What an extraordinary afternoon of music at the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition at Benaroya Hall! Six outstanding collegiate pianists took the stage, and we are delighted to announce this year’s prizewinners:

🥇 Gold Medal — Antonio Ajero
🥈 Silver Medal — Jingbo Zong
🥉 Bronze Medal — Mariam Loladze-Meredith

🏆 Best Performance of a Chopin Étude — Aizhen Du — $200
🏆 Best Performance of a Szymanowski Mazurka — Andrew Nguyen — $200
🏆 Jim Miles Memorial Prize — Mariam Loladze-Meredith — $750

⭐ Audience Favorite — Antonio Ajero
⭐ Teachers’ Favorite — Jingbo Zong

Congratulations to all six Collegiate Artist finalists for the tremendous artistry, individuality, and musicianship they brought to the Sonare stage. Every finalist in this exceptional group leaves Sonare 2026 with something to celebrate! 🎶

09/28/2026

Congratulations to our Youth, Ages 14–18 Prizewinners!

What a tremendous evening of music at the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition at Benaroya Hall! Our six teenage finalists delivered an exceptional round of performances, and we are delighted to announce this year’s prizewinners:

🥇 Gold Medal — William Feng
🥈 Silver Medal — Andrew Lee
🥉 Bronze Medal — Benjamin Bell
🏆 Best Performance of a Chopin Étude — William Feng
🏆 Best Performance of a Szymanowski Mazurka — Andrew Lee
⭐ Audience Favorite — William Feng
⭐ Teachers’ Favorite — Andrew Lee

Congratulations to William, Andrew, and Benjamin—and to all six finalists for an inspiring evening of artistry, musicianship, and remarkable accomplishment.

And we’re not finished yet! Sonare 2026 continues at Benaroya Hall as our Collegiate and Professional Artists take the stage.

09/28/2026

🎹✨ Congratulations to our Youth, Ages 10–13 Prizewinners! ✨🏅
What an exciting afternoon of music at the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition at Benaroya Hall! Six remarkable young pianists took the stage, and we are delighted to announce this year’s prizewinners:
🥇 Gold Medal — Evan Shuhe Zhang
🥈 Silver Medal — Olivia He
🥉 Bronze Medal — Lala Funakoshi
🏆 Best Performance of a Chopin Étude — Saya Takahashi
And an extraordinary double audience-and-teacher recognition:
⭐ Audience Favorite — Evan Shuhe Zhang
⭐ Teachers’ Favorite — Evan Shuhe Zhang
Congratulations to our prizewinners—and to all six finalists for the artistry, preparation, and courage they brought to the Sonare stage. At this age, the future is very bright indeed!
Sonare 2026 continues at Benaroya Hall! 🎶

09/27/2026

Our Professional Artists take the stage!

We are delighted to introduce the six exceptional pianists selected as Professional Artist finalists in the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition:

Hanna Lee • Cameron Akioka • Jihee Moon • Seonghun Jeong • Trinity Fan • John Garo Lonergan

They perform this afternoon at 2:00 PM at Benaroya Hall, bringing the competitive rounds of Sonare 2026 to an exciting conclusion. Audience members and teachers—this is your final opportunity to cast your votes for your favorite performers!

But the music isn’t over yet. At 5:00 PM, join us for a special recital by our featured guest artist, Jialin Yao, followed by the moment we have all been waiting for: the announcement of the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition winners!

One extraordinary weekend. Remarkable pianists from around the world. And tonight, we celebrate their achievements.

09/27/2026

The competition continues with our Collegiate Artists!

We are delighted to introduce the six outstanding pianists selected as Collegiate Artist finalists in the 2026 Sonare International Piano Competition:

Antonio Ajero • Aizhen Du • Andrew Nguyen • Mariam Loladze-Meredith • Son Duong • Jingbo Zong

They take the stage Sunday at 12:00 PM at Benaroya Hall, opening our second day of competition with an exciting program of artistry, virtuosity, and musical individuality.

Audience members and teachers—remember to cast your votes for your favorite performers!

And there is still more to come: check back as we reveal our six Professional Artist finalists, who take the stage Sunday afternoon for the final competitive division of Sonare 2026.