New Chief Executive at Leeds International Piano Competition

Fiona Sinclair

New Chief Executive at Leeds International Piano Competition

Former Managing Director of Lancaster Arts to take up new role on 1 October.

Fiona Sinclair has been announced as Chief Executive of the Leeds International Piano Competition. She succeeds Mark Wingate, who completes his three-year appointment as the 2018 Competition closes (6–15 September). Sinclair will join Artistic Directors Paul Lewis and Adam Gatehouse from 1 October.

Currently Managing Director of Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University, Sinclair was previously Chief Executive of the Lancashire Sinfonietta. At Lancaster Arts she managed a multi-artform programme as well as directing the Lancaster International Concerts Series. As CEO of the Lancashire Sinfonietta, Sinclair led a diverse programme with the 35-piece orchestra, developed musical initiatives with vulnerable families in deprived communities, authored a series of books and CDs for babies, constructed digital resources for primary schools and founded the Christopher Brooks Memorial Prize for young composers.

A violist, she read music at the University of Glasgow and undertook post-graduate qualifications at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Liszt Academy in Budapest.

Commenting on her appointment, Sinclair said:

It is a huge privilege to take forward the legacy of The Leeds at this exciting time in its history. Personally it means a great deal to me, as I grew up watching the competition on TV with my dad, and internationally it has always represented the very pinnacle of musical excellence. I am particularly excited by the challenge of connecting with new audiences as we seek to redefine the Competition for the future, both at home and on our global platforms.

The 2018 Leeds Competition begins in Leeds on 6 September and continues until the final stages with the Hallé under the baton of Edward Gardner at Leeds Town Hall on 14 and 15 September.

Highlights from the semi-finals will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 1pm on 11–14 September. The finals will be broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 and transmitted in extract form by BBC FOUR on 21 September.  

For more, visit www.leedspiano.com.

Published on 31 August 2018

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