Thomas Kelly wins the 2022 Sheepdrove Piano Competition
After a weekend of closed and open heats at Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre on the afternoon of Sunday 15th May, Thomas Kelly of London’s Royal College of Music was awarded the Kindersley Prize as winner of the 2022 Sheepdrove Piano Competition.
Thomas was also awarded the Audience Prize, voted for by a capacity audience attending the competition final as part of Newbury Spring Festival.
Thomas Kelly will give a lunch time recital on Monday 16th May in Newbury Corn Exchange, as part of the Festival’s Young Artists Recital Series.
The competition which this year had an emphasis on the works of Bach was judged by a distinguished panel:
Rupert Christiansen, Mikhail Kazakevich, Dinara Klinton, David Whelton CBE, Mark Eynon.
Additional prizes were awarded to Eden Agranat Meged, Milda Daunoraite and Lasha Kvaratskhelia.
The Sheepdrove Piano Competition, now in its 13th year, is an important part of the Newbury Spring Festival and is held at the Sheepdrove Eco Centre, Lambourn. The competition is open to piano students from all the major UK conservatories and was founded in 2009 by the Sheepdrove Trust in association with Newbury Spring Festival.
Mark Eynon, Festival Director said: “The Sheepdrove Piano Competition is central to the Newbury Spring Festival’s commitment to support and launch a new generation of young artists. This year’s finalists are all extremely talented and it was the first time the first prize was awarded to a British pianist. Thomas Kelly is destined for a major international career.”
