The Hallé is delighted to announce that this year’s winner of The Terence Judd-Hallé Award is Italian-born pianist Alexander Gadjiev.

The award commemorates the work and tragically short life of Terence Judd, a remarkable talent who passed away in 1979 at the age of 22. After the establishment of a trust in his name, the award has been presented in association with the Hallé since 1982, with notable past recipients including Stephen Hough, Nikolai Lugansky and Elisabeth Brauss.

In 2021, the award was relaunched as an annual partnership with the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme, to support the continued development of an outstanding young pianist coming to the end of their time on the scheme. Each year, one of the young pianists is selected by the BBC to become a recipient of the award. The winner receives a concerto performance with the Hallé, a chamber recital with Hallé musicians at Hallé St Peter’s, a solo recital as part of the Manchester Mid-day Concert Series (all dates to be announced) and a cash prize of £7,000.

This year’s winner, Alexander Gadjiev, has been on the BBC New Generation Artists scheme since 2019. He won first prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition and second prize in the Chopin Competition in 2021. He will make his debut with the Hallé in the 2022-23 season, further details of which will be announced in May.

Alexander Gadjiev said of winning the award: “It is a great honour for me to be the recipient of this year’s Terence Judd-Hallé Award and to be therefore connected to one of the leading orchestras on the continent, the Hallé Orchestra. I must add a few words about the figure of Terence Judd: after his tragic end we are thankfully left with a handful of recordings of his; no wonder he was so beloved by the Russian audience at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978. He was a performer of true passion, incredible temperament and dedication towards his art and music in general. I do hope not only to share an important date in his life (he passed away on the same day as my birthday) but I would like to think that this award also means to carry on a legacy of uncompromising piano playing, filled with utmost dedication and true passion.”

LINKS FOR EDITORS
Alexander Gadjiev www.alexandergadjiev.com
Hallé main website www.halle.co.uk
Hallé latest biography www.halle.co.uk/about-us
BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/about-the-ngas