Chen Junyan took second place at the Leeds International Piano Competition. It was the best result any Chinese pianist has managed there. The competition dates back to 1963, and its past winners include Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu.
Shanghai-born Chen performed at the 2027 competition's launch event at the Steinway Hall in central London, not far from her previous place of study, the Royal Academy of Music. She rarely enters competitions, she said, but the Leeds had come along at exactly the right time after she graduated, and has given her fledgling career a huge boost.
"When I was younger, I didn't really think I was ready for competition, but the Leeds happened at the perfect time, and the main reason I entered was because I thought it was an opportunity to get up on stage and perform three or four times."
"My attitude to competition is 'what's the end goal?'. For me, the end goal is to have performances for people to see how you play, who love your music and who give you more opportunities to go on stage."
"Competition of course depends on tastes, how you feel that day and how the jury feels, so for me, it's all about being in the moment, knowing 'this is what we love', rather than thinking about being better than anyone else, and Leeds gave me that freedom to express myself."
In addition to the overall second place prize, she also won the competition's chamber music prize, and her career has since taken in performances in the United Kingdom and Germany, with a 20-date tour next year.
"Leeds was a starting point for me to show what else I can do well, and to keep that momentum going," she said. "It was a huge confidence boost - I don't really worry about the next step, because I know people have my back and that they believe in what I'm doing, and also concert halls trust me and understand what I'm trying to say."
Entries are now being accepted for next year's staging of the competition, with the finals held in the northern English city of Leeds in September 2027. The age limit for entrants has been raised to 35, and performers will have total freedom to choose what to play.
The competition's boss hopes the changes will unleash a new wave of creativity among entrants. "The range of repertoire will be mindboggling, and I think we will see people's personality come through even more, so we're in for a real treat," said Fiona Sinclair, the competition's CEO.
"We wanted to rethink what artistry means in the context of competition, because very often competitions are set up as tests, and we recognize that's not the best environment for artistry to truly thrive. We've raised the age limit in recognition that artistry sometimes takes time to develop."
The rule changes, Chen said, will be "very fun and I'm excited to see artists doing different genres of music, playing things we wouldn't expect."
Her advice to anyone hoping to follow her to the Leeds is simple: "If you want to try it, try it."
"There's nothing to worry about in sense of 'what if I don't win' - we're all human beings, we have feelings, music is our way of portraying who we are and communicating with our audience. If you have something to say, say it."