It’s the tenth anniversary of World Piano Day this Saturday, 29 March!
The brainchild of the German pianist and composer Nils Frahm and launched in 2015, World Piano Day lands on the 88th day of the year – a reference to the 88 keys on a full-size keyboard. Clever.
To help you get in the celebratory spirit, Limelight has a wrap up of all things piano (and piano-adjacent) – including articles from our archive, a brand-new Australian music playlist, and events happening across each state on and around the date.
Special Offer
To celebrate World Piano Day, Limelight’s annual print and digital subscription is only $88*!
For piano lovers, it’s the perfect time to subscribe. One of the headline features in our upcoming May issue centres on The Piano, a new series screening on ABC TV in which amateur pianists from all walks of life perform at busy locations around the country.
They know they are being filmed. What they don’t know is that Australian classical pianist Andrea Lam and American singer-songwriter Harry Connick Jr. are watching and may just offer mentorship and a chance to perform at Sydney’s City Recital Hall.
Writer-pianist Dylan Henderson talks to Andrea Lam, Megan Burslem from ABC Classic and some of the pianists.
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Piano Reading
The most influential legendary pianists, as voted by modern-day masters of the instrument.
The “king of instruments” has come a long way since its lowly birth as a wooden box with strings. We chart the landmarks in its evolution.
A Limelight video compilation of the most epic, thrilling trills in piano music, from Beethoven to Debussy.
Why did Rachmaninov spend decades revising his Piano Concerto No. 4 when there was nothing wrong with the original?
The British virtuoso’s secrets to making scales fun, learning and memorising a new piece, maintaining concentration and more.
Musicians are told “practice makes perfect”, but the strain of playing for hours a day can lead to constant pain – and even the end of a career.
Piano Listening
Enjoy over two hours of piano music written by Austarlian composers and performed by Australian pianists.
Concert Highlights
Victoria
There are two official events for the 2025 festivities, and Victoria hosts both: On 29 March at Sandringham Town Square, there’s non-stop piano from morning to night; and Tempo Rubato follows on 31 March with a night of neoclassical piano from Christina Higham and Jordi Forniés.
At Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, Richard Chew celebrates the day with a recital of works from his upcoming release, An Inventory of Lost Things, that can be experienced traditionally or from the vantage point of an on-stage bean bag.
Melbourne Recital Centre will also be hosting two piano recitals on 29 March: Daniel Le and Allie Xinyu Wang team up to perform French piano works in celebration of the 150th birthday of Ravel, and Hang Pham packs a program of Beethoven’s Pathetique and Moonlight sonatas, alongside Liszt’s piano arrangement of Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture.
On 2 April, The Jazzlab sees a night of music for World Piano Day from an all-star group of Aussie pianists – Nat Bartsch, Kym Alexandra Dillon, Josh Hooke and Celeste Willoughby.
New South Wales
Sydney-siders are in luck: legendary Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov is in town performing Rachmaninov’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on 28 March at the Sydney Opera House, and a solo recital with baritone Matthias Goerne on 30 March at City Recital Hall.
OK, so not playing an actual piano … but organist Alessandro Pittorino performs a solo set for the Bowral Autumn Music Festival on 28 March, while Paul Dyer graces the harpsichord for the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s performances of the Bach’s Orchestral Suite from 28 March – 2 April.
Queensland
Clocked Out pianist Erik Griswold and percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson – team up with some musings on the environment in Peak Plastique on 28 March at the Queensland Consveratorium (read our feature before you go).
Pianist Roger Cui joins the Southern Cross Soloists on 29 March for Johnnies & Mehmets, a celebration of the relationship between Türkiye and Australia that’s blossomed following the Gallipoli campaign at Fortitude Valley’s Judith Wright Arts Centre.
And here’s something a little different: the Sunshine Coast Oriana Choir offers a program called The Piano Men on 29 March at the Matthew Flinders Performance Centre, an homage to two of the biggest pop piano superstars – Elton John and Billy Joel.
Western Australia
For something a little more jazzy, The Ellington Jazz Club has you sorted.
On 29 March, the Libby Hammer Quintet (featuring pianist Chris Foster) takes to the stage; while Perth pianist Harry Mitchell launches a brand new album, Noon, with his quartet and Melbourne-based saxophonist Flora Carbo on 1 April.
South Australia
Pianist Esmond Choi offers a solo lunchtime recital at the North Adelaide Baptist Church on 2 April. A postgrad student of the Elder Conservatorium, Choi is pianist for the Novus ensemble and the organist for St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church.
ACT & Canberra
Germany’s Freiburg Baroque Orchestra have a strong relationship with Kristian Bezuidenhout, who’s now its musical director. On 29 March, they return to Australia for the first time since 2019 with the Australian-born pianist in tow for a performance at Snow Concert Hall with a program of Mozart and Bach. (read Limelight’s five-star review of its Melbourne appearance).
Canberra Museum and Gallery is also about to present Resonant Spaces, a solo piano series hosted within its Sidney Nolan Exhibition. Curated by Ross Heathcote, the series sees pianists David Bridie (28 March) and Sophie Hutchings (4 April) bring their unique individual sounds into a gallery space.
Tasmania
Tassie’s Ten Days on the Island is currently underway, but a performance at Salamanca Arts Centre offers something a little different: jazz ensemble The Modern Operative performs in a 10-piece iteration with pianist/composer Matt Boden in a concert entitled Ten Dags on the Island.
Want to find out about the events happening near you? Check out our events calendar, or sign up to Eventful: our fortnightly wrap-up of classical music, theatre and dance events state by state.
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