In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia has announced a national recital programme featuring a line-up of popular past competitors including First Prize winners Andrey Gugnin (2016) and Konstantin Shamray (2008), People’s Choice winners Ming Xie (2016) and Ayako Uehara (2000), and Tony Lee, who was awarded Best Australian Pianist in 2016.

Ayako UeharaAyako Uehara

Uehara, who was the Second Prize winner as well as the people’s choice at SIPCA in 2000, subsequently won First Prize in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. She makes an anticipated return to Australia next week, performing in Sydney and Melbourne. Uehara fielded some questions from Limelight:

You were only 19 when you competed at the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia in 2000. What did winning the two prizes mean for your career?

At the Sydney competition and the following concert tour, I met many wonderful people. It is my lifelong treasure. To have had great experiences at such a pivotal age has really helped transform my career. The competition helped me to grow a lot as a person and as a musician.

How do you think you have grown?

Especially after the...