Concerto success for RNCM pianist

Congratulations to postgraduate pianist Maxim Kinasov, who won second prize at the 2019 Hastings International Concerto Competition.

The 25-year-old Russian performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 in B flat minor Op 23 alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to secure the £7000 award, a rendition which also saw him walk away with an orchestral prize of £750 plus performance opportunities, voted for by members of the RPO.

Now acknowledged as one of the UK’s premier classical competitions, the event took place in the creative hub of Hastings and culminated in a live two-day sell-out final at The White Rock Theatre. Over 176 pianists from 26 countries entered, with live auditions taking place in Japan, China, USA, Italy and the UK. Forty-nine performers were subsequently invited to compete during the competition stages, with six reaching the live final.

A pupil of Ashley Wass, Deputy Head of Keyboard Studies, Maxim studied at the the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory before joining the College to study for a Master of Music in 2017. Last summer he was awarded an RNCM Gold Medal and will be performing as part of the Gold Medal Winners’ Concert at Wigmore Hall, London, on Thursday 28 March.

10 March 2019