The ‘Les Étoiles du Piano - Concours International de Piano des Hauts de France’ competition is organised by ‘Les Étoiles du Piano’ Association, a non-profit association under French law, recognised as being in the public interest.

The 5th edition of the competition will take place in Roubaix from November 15 to 22, 2025

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1. Registration for the competition

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Registration conditions

 

The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities who meet the following conditions:
-Be aged between 18 and 30 (between 15 and 22 November 2025; date of birth between 23 November 1994 and 15 November 2007)
-Have completed a course of study in piano performance at a Superior Conservatory of Music or Superior School of Music.

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This competition is not open to finalists from previous editions.

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Entries are open from 1 April to 1 June 2025 inclusive (until midnight French time).
All entries must be submitted using the form on the www.etoilesdupiano.fr website.      
The number of applications accepted is 30.
In addition, 10 applications ranked in order of preference will be placed on a waiting list.

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Registration validation

 

A registration fee of €80 is payable when the application form is sent. Applications will only be accepted once the registration fee has been received and paid by bank transfer. Proof of the transfer (screenshot) will be requested on the registration form. The registration fee is non-refundable under any circumstances (including withdrawal).

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Incomplete applications will not be accepted and each candidate will receive confirmation from the competition management that the complete application has been received.

Decisions taken by the competition management are final and irrevocable.

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The list of selected candidates will be published on the Les Étoiles du Piano website and Facebook page on 18 July 2025.

The list of candidates on the waiting list, ranked in order of preference, will also be published on 18 July 2025.

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In the event of withdrawal, candidates are asked to inform the competition management in such a way as to allow candidates on the waiting list to be selected; registration fees will not be reimbursed under any circumstances.

Candidates on the waiting list may be definitively selected until 30 September 2025. After this date, candidates on the waiting list will no longer be eligible for final selection.

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Application file: details and examination procedures

 

The application file includes :

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• A completed application form with the following documents uploaded:

  • A recent portrait photograph

  • A biography in French or English, not exceeding 300 words, showing the applicant's background in musical studies

  • A valid identity document

  • One or more videos presenting the candidate's pre-selection programme (1 video of up to 700 MB or several videos totalling up to 700 MB), in .mov or .mp4 format

  • The programme chosen by the candidate, with the list of works from the 1st round, 2nd round and final, in .word or .pdf format

  • A screenshot proving payment of the €80 registration fee by bank transfer

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The video recording for the preselection must meet the following criteria:

• The recording will consist of 3 pieces:

  •  A first movement of a classical sonata by Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart or Schubert

  • An etude by Chopin or Liszt

  • A work of your choice for solo piano

• The recording must be recent, dated and of good quality

• Each piece must be recorded in a single session, but it is permissible for the pieces to be recorded in different places and on different dates

• The video shot must be fixed and the candidate's hands and face must be visible when he/she plays

• The entire preselection programme will last between 15 and 25 minutes

• No work created or arranged by the candidate will be accepted

• All works will be played from memory

• Works submitted for the preselection round may not be submitted for the following rounds, except for the sonata : you can chose to play the full sonata whose first movement you recorded for the preselection.

The video(s) must be submitted in .mov, .mp4 or equivalent format; no web links are permitted (1 video of 700 MB max or several videos totalling 700 MB max).

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2. Organisation and running of the tests

For each test, candidates must present themselves at reception no later than one hour before their scheduled time.

Candidates who are unable to appear at the required time will be disqualified unless they can justify their absence in advance to the competition organisers, who may, in exceptional circumstances and at their discretion, change the order in which candidates appear.

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Memory interpretation is compulsory for all tests.

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All tests are open to the public free of charge, subject to availability.

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Venue

 

All the tests take place in the Pierre Destombes auditorium at the Roubaix Conservatory, 80 rue de Lille, 59100 Roubaix.

Welcome session

 

A compulsory welcome session for candidates will be held on Saturday 15 November 2025 at 1.45pm at the Roubaix Conservatory.

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Running order

 

A public draw to determine the order in which the candidates will appear will take place during the welcome session. The running order will apply to the piano trial and all the tests.

Piano trials

The tests will take place in the Pierre Destombes auditorium at the Roubaix Conservatory, which will be equipped with a Yamaha CFX Grand Concert piano.

 

Each candidate will be able to try out the competition piano on stage for 15 minutes before the 1st round.

The schedule will follow the order of the competition draw.

Testing will start after the welcome session on Saturday 15 November at 2.30pm.

 

Before each round, the candidates will have access to a piano in the dressing room for one hour preparation before going on stage.

 

The 5 candidates selected for the final will have an one hour rehearsal with the Picardie Orchestra on Thursday 20 November and a run-through on the morning of Friday 21 November.

 

Apart from these two cases, the candidates will also have access to the Conservatory's study pianos.

First round

 

Number of candidates: 30 candidates

 

Date: Sunday 16 and Monday 17 November 2025; 10am-6pm

 

Duration of performance: 20 minutes (+/- 2 minutes)

 

Programme: the candidate will perform a free programme including a contemporary study written after 1944

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The entire programme will be performed from memory

No work created or arranged by the candidate will be accepted

 

No piece played in the first round may be played again for the semi-final programme

 

Number of candidates selected for the next round: 12

Semi-final

 

Number of candidates: 12

 

Date: Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2025; 11am-7.30pm

 

Duration of performance: between 50 and 60 minutes

 

Programme: the candidate will perform a free programme and Jazz Study, an unpublished contemporary work written by Thierry Escaich lasting approximately 7 minutes; the entire programme (including the compulsory work) should last between 50 minutes and 60 minutes

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The programme must not include works played in part (sonata movements)

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An extract from the score of Thierry Escaich's work is available here
The full score will be sent to the selected candidates when the results are announced

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The entire programme will be performed from memory

No work created or arranged by the candidate will be accepted

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Number of candidates selected for the final: 5.

Final 

 

Number of winners: 5

 

Date: Friday 21 November 2025, 2-6 pm

 

The finalists will perform a concerto with orchestra from the following list:

 

• Beethoven, Concerto 4 Op.58 in G minor

• Mozart, Concerto 23 K488 in A major

• Chopin, Concerto 2 Op.21 in F minor

• Saint-Saëns, Concerto 2 Op.22 in G minor

• Schumann, Concerto Op.54 in A minor

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These concertos will be performed with the Picardie Orchestra.

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3. Prize-giving ceremony, Awards

 

The winners of the competition will be announced publicly by the competition management at the end of the final in the Pierre Destombes auditorium on Friday 21 November 2025.

The prizes will be awarded when the winners are announced.

 

The prizes are as follows:

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1st prize: €20,000
2nd prize: €15,000
3rd prize: €7,500
4th prize: €5,000
5th prize: €2,500

 

The 5 finalists will be awarded the title of winner of the Les Étoiles du Piano - Concours International de Piano des Hauts de France'.

 

In addition to these prizes, several special prizes will be awarded: the City of Roubaix Prize, the Yamaha Prize, the Scala Music Prize, the Picardie Orchestra Prize, the Audience Prize and the Jérôme Bonduelle Prize.

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Several paid recitals will be offered to the winners in the months following the competition. Travel expenses for these recitals will be covered by the association.

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4. Prize-winners' concerts - gala evening

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A gala evening is organised on Saturday 22 November 2025. Each prizewinner must take part in this gala evening as well as in the rehearsals that will take place. The presence and participation of the prize-winners at this closing gala is compulsory.

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5. General terms and conditions

 

Travel costs and accommodation

 

Participants are responsible for their own travel costs and visas; a letter of invitation is available on request.

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Candidates who are selected for the semi-final will be entitled to reimbursement of their travel expenses up to a maximum of €1,200 for the return journey, economy class, on presentation of supporting documents.

 

Free accommodation with a host family is organised for each candidate. This accommodation is reserved for the candidate to the exclusion of any other person (friends or family of the candidate).

 

Candidates who do not wish to be accommodated with a host family must arrange their own accommodation (travel cost between accommodation and conservatory are not to be refunded).

Insurance and Civil Liability

The ‘Les Étoiles du Piano’ association, which organises the competition, has taken out ‘Civil Liability’ insurance to cover its own liability in the event of accidents to participants during the competition (Saturday 15  November 1.30pm till Saturday 22 November 11pm). This insurance does not cover any accompanying persons.

Jury

 

The preselection jury and the jury will be made up of pianists and teachers. The members of the jury are listed on the www.etoilesdupiano.fr website.

 

A jury of 3 members will be set up for the preselection round in video format. The 3 members of the preselection jury are appointed by the association's management committee.

 

The jury for the public rounds of the competition is made up of jurors appointed by the association's management committee.

The jury for the public rounds is chaired by a member of the association's management committee or any other person appointed by it.

 

The jury alone is responsible for making the selections and deciding whether or not to award the prizes. It reserves the right not to award all the prizes if it deems the standard of the candidates to be insufficient.

 

In the event of a tie, the jury chairman will have the casting vote and will count double.

 

In the event that a member of the jury is or has been a student of a candidate, the jury member will refrain from voting on the candidate's performance.

 

The jury's decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

The competition management is in no way responsible for the jury's decisions. It can neither modify nor overturn them.
Jury members are not authorised to communicate with candidates during the tests.

Image rights

 

Candidates must agree to any interviews, videos or promotional meetings related to the competition.
The competition management reserves the right to make or authorise audio or video recordings and to take photographs throughout the competition and at the closing ceremony.

It also reserves the right to preserve and communicate them for the benefit of  ‘Les Étoiles du Piano’ association, and to retain ownership of them.

 

By virtue of their participation in the competition, the winners authorise, free of charge, the ‘Les Étoiles du Piano’ association to use their surname, first name(s), image and, where applicable, any other attributes of their personality, exclusively for the purposes of communication relating to the competition, by all digital and/or analogue processes, on all media, throughout the world from the announcement of the preselection results.

Candidates' obligations

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Candidates undertake to be free from any other activity whatsoever for the duration of the competition.

 

Candidates and any accompanying persons undertake to comply at all times with the instructions issued by the competition management and to strictly observe the rules governing the use and safety of the premises made available to them.

 

Registration and participation in the competition imply full acceptance of these rules.
Failure to comply with one or more of these rules will result in the disqualification of the candidate, a decision that cannot be appealed.
In the event of a dispute, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Lille shall have sole jurisdiction.

The use of photocopied scores is prohibited.

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Code of ethics

 

Candidates in the competition agree to sign the ethical charter of 'Les Étoiles du Piano', which sets out the ethical framework within which the association and the competition operate.​​​​