Seventeen-year-old composer and pianist Jacky Zhang has been named winner of the 2026 Sheepdrove Piano Competition at Newbury Spring Festival, becoming the youngest winner in the competition’s 17-year history.
A student at the Royal College of Music and finalist in BBC Young Musician 2024, Zhang was awarded the First Prize of £3,000, donated by the Sheepdrove Trust, following the final of the competition held as part of this year’s Festival programme.
At just 16 years old, Zhang reached the final stages of BBC Young Musician with a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 described by judges as an “incredibly powerful, volcanic interpretation”, drawing national attention for both his technical command and musical maturity.
As part of the prize, Zhang also gave a recital at Newbury Corn Exchange on Monday 18 May as part of the Festival’s Young Artist Lunchtime Series.
Born in the UK in 2008, Zhang studied in the Royal College of Music Junior Department from the age of seven and now studies with renowned pianist Dmitri Alexeev. Alongside his piano work, he is also active as a composer, songwriter and producer, with interests spanning conducting, historical performance and music for screen.
Zhang has already won a number of international piano competitions, including the United Kingdom Piano Open International Competition (2020), Premio Alkan-Zimmerman International Piano Competition (2022) and the Cantù International Piano and Orchestra Competition (2023).
Mark Eynon, Festival Director of Newbury Spring Festival, commented:
“Jacky is an extraordinary young musician and a truly deserving winner. To achieve this level of artistry at just 17 years old is remarkable, and we are delighted to welcome him into the growing list of outstanding pianists associated with the Sheepdrove Piano Competition.”
The Second Prize of £1,500 was awarded to Nicole Wu from Canada, a student at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, while Third Prize went to Naruko Narutani from Japan, a student at the Royal Academy of Music. Fourth Prize was awarded to Tomos Boyles from Wales, who also received the Audience Prize.
Established in 2009 by the Sheepdrove Trust, the Sheepdrove Piano Competition is open to pianists aged 26 and under from the UK’s leading conservatoires and forms part of Newbury Spring Festival’s longstanding commitment to supporting emerging artists and young performers.
Now in its 47th year, Newbury Spring Festival presents more than 45 events across West Berkshire each May, bringing together internationally recognised artists, orchestras and emerging talent across classical music, jazz, choral and contemporary performance.
