Federico Colli wins Leeds International Piano Competition
17 September 2012, 10:14
The Leeds International Piano Competition winner has been announced as 24-year-old Federico Colli.
Italian pianist Federico Colli (pictured bottom right) has won the Leeds International Piano Competition, the final of which was held on Saturday night. Colli performed Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
The judging panel, chaired by Dame Fanny Waterman, ruled Colli the winner and Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel the runner up. Other works performed by the competition finalists included Rachmaninov's third as well as both Prokofiev's second and third concertos.
24-year-old Colli also took centre stage in the prize-winners' gala recital on Sunday afternoon, celebrating his victory with the other finalists. Fellow competitor Andrew Tyson was awarded the Terence Judd-Hallé Orchestra prize.
Previous winners of the competition include Murray Perahia and Artur Pizarro. The Global Ambassador for the Leeds International Piano Competition, Lang Lang, visited Leeds last week and spoke of his "greatest respect for the talented competitors."
