Memphis International Piano Festival + Competition 2026

Since his orchestral debut at age 11, pianist Alex McDonald has soloed with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Mexico, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed across the United States as well as in Israel, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and South Korea; additionally, he has been a featured performer on PBS, WRR, NPR, and WQXR. Awards and fellowships include second prize at the 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition and second prize at the 2001 Gina Bachauer International Young Artist Piano Competition. In 2008, he was named a Harvey Fellow by the Mustard Seed Foundation. He was a participant in the 2013 Van Cliburn Competition. Active as a chamber musician, McDonald’s recent program "Music for Animals" (collaborating with Cathy Lysinger and Andrey Ponochevny) was hailed by Theater Jones as one of its "Concerts of the Year" for 2016.

Dr. McDonald is currently the festival director for Basically Beethoven, a thriving summer concert series in downtown Dallas’ Arts District. He has taught at Texas Woman’s University, Richland College as well as at the Juilliard School, where he also was a Teaching Fellow for both the Literature and Materials and Piano Minor departments. Additionally, his private piano students have been admitted to Juilliard and Eastman, and have performed at Carnegie's Weill Hall and on WRR. Texas Music Teacher’s Association recently awarded him the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award in teaching. Deeply concerned about a healthy integration of life with music, he has actively pursued community formation both as an R.A. in the Juilliard residence hall and as president of Juilliard Christian Fellowship.

Dr. McDonald received his pre-college training under Lois Nielson, his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory with Academic Honors and Distinction in Performance under Russell Sherman, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Juilliard under Yoheved Kaplinsky and Julian Martin. His doctoral document, a source study on manuscripts and editions for Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor, has been cited in the most recent edition of the sonata by Alfred Publishers, edited by Nancy Bricard.

Alex McDonald and his wife Rachel sometimes play chamber music together, and their artistic collaboration also includes a really cute little boy named Micah, who has his mother's eyes and his daddy's hair, and Ella Joy McDonald… who also has his mother’s eyes and his daddy’s hair.

Dr. Carol Leone is Chair of Piano Studies and Professor of Piano at SMU Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas.  She has performed and taught throughout the US, Europe and Asia and has been a prizewinner in piano competitions such as the National Beethoven Sonata Competition, the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, and the International Masters Competition.  Her professional training included study at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she received a diploma and was a student of the legendary Polish pianist Mieczysław Horszowski.  She was also a student of Guido Agosti in Rome at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, where she received the Honors Diploma.  

An active soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Leone can be heard in recordings produced by MSR Classics, the Augusta Read Thomas Label, Gasparo Records, and Crystal Records.  She performs regularly with the Grammy-nominated contemporary music ensemble, Voices of Change.  Among Dr. Leone’s many awards, she was named the 2005-2006 Texas Music Teachers Association's Collegiate Teacher of the Year.  She has taught in international festivals in Italy, Russia, Austria, the Czech Republic, China and South Korea.

Leone is considered the world’s leading performer, teacher, and researcher on alternate-sized piano keyboards for the benefit of pianists with smaller hand-spans. She has been published in journals such as American Music Teacher, Piano Professional and Clavier Companion.

Dr. Cathal Breslin has been praised worldwide as one of the most exciting pianists of his generation with critical acclaim such as “superb intensity and passion” (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio), “energized and energizing” (Belfast Telegraph, N. Ireland), “a deep connection to the music” (Tampa Oracle, Florida), and “noble poetry and perfumed pianissimo” (The Independent, London). Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, he has performed solo recitals in major concert halls throughout Europe, U.S., and Asia, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Kumho Hall in Seoul, and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Recent solo concerto performances have included Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Mozart, Takemitsu, Poulenc and Liszt Concerti with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Turin Philharmonic, Memphis Symphony, RTE Concert Orchestra, and the Arizona Music Fest Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, Dr. Breslin has performed extensively with flutist Sir James Galway, soprano Measha Brueggergosman, violinists Augustin Dumay, Anne Akiko Meyers, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, cellists Jan Vogler, Jeffrey Zeigler, Raphael Wallfisch, the Houston Symphony Winds, and the Brodsky and Coull Quartets. He is a regular member of Trio Festivale, a flute-cello-piano ensemble that tours and commissions new works internationally.

In 2008, Dr. Breslin and his wife, flutist Dr. Sabrina Hu, created the Walled City Music Festival in Derry, N. Ireland, which has regenerated music with its innovative concerts and outreach. Now entering its 16th edition, WCM has become one of the most successful arts organizations and festivals in Europe, with past Artists such as the Kronos Quartet, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Ulster Orchestra, pianists such as the Labeque Sisters, Awadagin Pratt, Barry Douglas and Jeremy Denk. In 2019, they introduced a new annual WCM International Piano Festival and Competition, which has attracted hundreds of students from more than 20 countries.

Dr. Breslin moved to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan, where he received a Doctoral Degree studying with Arthur Greene. His earlier studies were at the Real Conservatorio Superior in Madrid with Joaquín Soriano, RNCM in Manchester with Kathryn Stott, Benjamin Frith and Alexander Melnikov, RCM in London with John Barstow.  He is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and his students have won many prizes in international and national piano competitions. In 2019, he formed a new Arizona Chapter of the American Liszt Society, and serves as its President.

In 2020, he signed as an exclusive Yamaha Artist, and released a new album entitled “Mirage” – an album of Romantic piano works by Chopin, Brahms, De Falla and Rachmaninov, that create musical illusions of landscapes and fantasies, reflecting light and color.

Dr. Jonathan Tsay Co-Director
Dr. Artina McCain Co-Director
Dr. Natalia Vanegas Competition Director
Megan Schmitz Marketing Director

 

Contestants may choose to participate on a non-competitive basis in any category, with one exception: Blossoming Beginners is non-competitive only.

All participants, regardless of competitive status, will receive an adjudicator comment sheet.

Non-competitive participation is meant to provide a performance experience. Non-competitive participants are not required to memorize their repertoire, and they do not need to fulfill the minimum time requirements for their category. Maximum time still applies.

Memorization is required for competitive participants unless the piece was composed in or after 1955.

Please read the Competition Rules section before registering.

Blossoming Beginners (Ages 6 and younger) (Non-competitive only)

• Format: In person
• Awards: Participation Certificates
• Repertoire Requirements:
• Free repertoire choice
  Time Limit: 3 minutes

Bright Juniors (Ages 7–10)

• Format: In person
• Awards:
• First Prize: $100 AMRO Gift Card
• Certificates for Second and Third Prize winners
• Honorable Mentions at judges’ discretion
• Repertoire Requirements:
• Repertoire is free choice, but contrasting selections are strongly advised — for example, two pieces by different composers, or from different musical periods or styles. 
• Time Limit: 3 minutes minimum, 5 minutes maximum

Young Stars (Ages 11–14)

• Format: In person
• Awards:
• First Prize: $100 cash + $100 AMRO Gift Card
• Second Prize: $100 cash
• Third Prize: $50 cash
• Honorable Mentions at judges’ discretion
• Repertoire Requirements:
• Repertoire is free choice, but contrasting selections are strongly advised — for example, two pieces by different composers, or from different musical periods or styles. 
• Time Limit: 8 minutes minimum, 10 minutes maximum

Young Artists (Ages 15–18)

• Format: In person
• Awards:
• First Prize: $300 cash + $100 AMRO Gift Card
• Second Prize: $200 cash
• Third Prize: $100 cash
• Honorable Mentions at judges’ discretion
• Repertoire Requirements:
• Repertoire is free choice, but contrasting selections are strongly advised — for example, two pieces by different composers, or from different musical periods or styles. 
• Time Limit: 13 min minimum, 15 minutes maximum

Collegiate Artists (Ages 18+) (In Person)

• Format: In person (Prescreening required)
• Contestants must submit a prescreening video with their registration form. Finalists will be invited to advance to the live round either October 31 or November 1. Finalists will be announced by September 28th 2026. 
• Awards:
• First Prize: $1000 cash
• Second Prize: $500 cash
• Third Prize and Honorable Mentions at judges’ discretion

• Prescreening Video Requirements:
• One unedited, single-take video (8-10 minutes) of free choice repertoire
• Must be recorded within one year of the competition date
• Video may include pieces intended for the live round
• Upload the video to YouTube and set it as Public or Unlisted (Private videos cannot be viewed by judges)

• Live Round Repertoire Requirements:
• Repertoire is free choice, but contrasting selections are strongly advised — for example, two pieces by different composers, or from different musical periods or styles. 
• Time Limit: 18 minutes minimum - 20 minutes maximum

Collegiate Artists Disklavier (Ages 18+)

This remote category is intended for applicants who are unable to travel to Memphis to compete in person. Applicants must enter either Collegiate Artists (in person) or Collegiate Artists Disklavier (remote), not both. 

 

Participants must have access to a Yamaha Disklavier and the ability to operate it themselves, or have someone available who can manage the setup and connection on their behalf. The MIPFC is not responsible for participants or their schools being unable to set up the connection.

 

• Format: Remote (Prescreening required)
• Contestants must submit a prescreening video with their registration form. Finalists will be invited to advance to a live round held via Remote Lesson using Disklavier either October 31 or November 1. Finalists will be announced by September 28th 2026. 
• Awards:
• Unique prize of $500 sponsored by Yamaha

• Prescreening Video Requirements:
• One unedited, single-take video (8-10 minutes) of free choice repertoire
• Must be recorded within one year of the competition date
• Video may include pieces intended for the live round
• Upload the video to YouTube and set it as Public or Unlisted (Private videos cannot be viewed by judges)

• Live Round Repertoire Requirements:
• Repertoire is free choice, but contrasting selections are strongly advised — for example, two pieces by different composers, or from different musical periods or styles. 
• Time Limit: 18 minutes minimum - 20 minutes maximum

 

* Each Disklavier applicant will be assigned a 23-minute time slot, which includes a 20-minute audition and additional time to ensure that the connection and setup are working properly. Competitors will perform on their own Yamaha Disklaviers from their location, with performances transmitted and reproduced on the University of Memphis Yamaha Disklavier. The Collegiate Artist jury panel will be present in Memphis to hear the performances live.

• All live performances will be held at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis, 3775 Central Ave., Memphis, TN 38111.
• Final deadline for completed entries: September 21st, 2026 at 9:00 p.m. Central Time.
• Collegiate competitors accepted to the live round will be announced by September 28th, 2026.
• Festival: Oct 29–Nov 1, Competition auditions: Oct 31–Nov 1, 2026.

1. Performances that run past the time limit will be stopped, but this will not affect scoring.
2. Memorization is required unless the piece was composed in or after 1955. Non-competitive participants are not required to memorize their repertoire, and they do not need to fulfill the minimum time requirements for their category. Maximum time still applies.
3. Age and eligibility. Ages are calculated as of the day of the competition.
4. Repertoire and scores. Detailed repertoire information is required — movement numbers, titles of movements, and exact timings. Contestants must bring scores with numbered measures for the judges; originals are not required.
5. Duets. Participants may enter duet repertoire ONLY on a non-competitive basis. Participants registered as competitors who add duets will be changed to a non-competitor basis and still receive feedback from the judges.
6. Judges' decisions. All decisions of the judges are final.
7. Attendance and timeliness. Contestants are responsible for arriving on time. Those who are late risk forfeiting their performance spot.
8. Disklavier category. Disklavier participants are responsible for ensuring all equipment, software, and connections work properly on their end before and during the competition. Technical failures on the participant's end are not grounds for a refund or a second attempt.
9. Photo release. All participants agree to the use of their photographic image in social media and website content related to the competition and the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, unless otherwise expressed.
10. No refunds. Registration fees are non-refundable once a contestant registers, regardless of whether they ultimately attend. The only exception is for Disklavier (remote) participants, in the case of a technical or administrative failure on the part of MIPFC, in which case a refund will be issued.
11.  

• • Registration dates: From August 26th to September 21st, 2026 at 9:00 pm Central Time.
  • Festival: Oct 29–Nov 1, Competition auditions: Oct 31–Nov 1, 2026.
  • Contestants and allocated performance times may be limited. Please register early. No late applications are accepted.
  • Student and teacher names and contact information are required at the online registration.
  • A valid credit or debit card is required for online registration fee - fees must be received by the final deadline for completed entries.
  • Fees
  • $100 for Collegiate and Collegiate Disklavier Categories
  • $50 for all other categories
  • Registration fees are non-refundable — see Competition Rules for the full policy and the Disklavier exception. 
  
  

  For more information, contact: uofmpiano@gmail.com