The international piano competition of Saint-Paul-Trois

The 4th international piano competition organized by the city of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in collaboration with pianist Pierre-Laurent Boucharlat will take place at the Fontaine hall from April 13 to 18. Established in 2023, this competition attracts more participants from all around the world each year.

There are a hundred registered participants in the two categories of this new edition. Pierre-Laurent Boucharlat chose to eliminate the junior categories to focus on the two main categories: the masters, who drive the competition, and the challengers.

Public-Facing Performances

It is worth noting that seasoned pianists under 26 years old have the opportunity to apply in both categories. Another new feature is that the challenger category will now have three prizes instead of one (€800 – €300 – €200). The master category also has three prizes (€5,000 – €2,500 – €1,500).

The performances are open to the public (free access). The semi-finals of the master category will take place on Monday from 10:30 am to 1:10 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm, on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 am to 1:10 pm and from 2 pm to 9:30 pm. Thursday, April 16, will be dedicated to the final master recital.

The challenger category performance is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Due to the successful evolution of the competition, Shigeru Kawai pianos have renewed their partnership and sent a Japanese tuner to ensure the piano’s proper functioning throughout the week (these pianos are among the best in the world today and are used in prestigious competitions).

Opening and Closing Concerts

Two concerts are scheduled as part of this competition: the opening concert on Monday, April 13 at 8 pm (Fontaine hall) with Bogdan Dugalić (a 22-year-old pianist who won the 1st prize in Masters in 2025) and the Gala concert on Saturday, April 18 at 8 pm (final with an orchestra from the Masters category).

As in previous years, it will be the Amplitude orchestra conducted by Jean-Charles Dunand accompanying the pianists. The concert entrance fee is set at €10.