Yuanfan Yang wins 2025 RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition

RNCM alumnus Yuanfan Yang has won the 2025 James Mottram International Piano Competition (JMIPC), held at the College between 24 and 28 November.

The Edinburgh-born pianist, who completed an RNCM International Artist Diploma in 2024 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies in Performance earlier this year, secured the £10,000 first prize for his performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor Op 11 alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) and conductor Geoffrey Paterson.

He is the ninth winner of the biennial competition, which is open to young pianists under 30 from all over the world. But it is also his second success in the competition with Chopin and the RLPO! Fifteen years ago, playing the same piece of music with the same orchestra, he won first prize in the Under-19s category.

Posting on social media about his win, Yuanfan said: ‘It was a true joy to share music in Manchester at the glorious RNCM over the last week, over two solo rounds with repertoire specialising in Scarlatti, Chopin, and Debussy, and culminating in the concerto finals last night, where I played Chopin Piano Concerto No 1 with the fantastic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the wonderful Geoffrey Paterson.

‘This was a particularly moving occasion for me, as exactly 15 years ago, in this very hall, I won the Under-19 Category of the 2010 edition (the junior category has been discontinued), playing the exact same concerto with the exact same orchestra!’

The 2025 jury, chaired by RNCM Head of Keyboard Studies Graham Scott, included: founder of the PIANALE International Academy and Competition Uta Weyand, Professor of Piano at the Conservatory in Terni Carlo Guaitoli, Artistic Director of the Robert Schumann Competition Barbara Szczepanska, Professor Emeritus at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki Erik Tawaststjerna, and international pianist Chun-Chieh Yen.

The judges awarded the £5000 second prize and audience prize to Julliard graduate Zhu Wang for his performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16, while Valerio Tesoro, a postgraduate student at the Musik-Akademie in Basel, took home the £2500 third prize for his performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Op 58.

Generously supported by Yamaha CFX, the James Mottram International Piano Competition is a major biennial event that offers an all-round learning experience for young pianists from all over the world, mixing opportunities to perform on the concert platform with a series of masterclasses given by a distinguished international jury. It is thanks to a generous bequest from the late James Mottram that the RNCM can present the competition.

1 December 2025