Leeds picks a winner. It’s a boy

Having rigged the finals to contrive a fairer gender balance, the Leeds Piano Competition was won tonight by a 24 year-old Canadian male.

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, 24, triumphed with a performance of Brahms’s second piano concerto. He takes home £30,000 and a sheaf of orchestral engagements.

Jury chair Dame Imgoen Cooper said: ‘Our aim was to find not just the finest pianist, but the most complete musician, and with Jaeden we have achieved that. He demonstrated exceptional artistic maturity and imagination, remarkable technical command, and a profound ability to captivate and transport the audience through his storytelling and poetry throughout the Competition, culminating in a truly unforgettable final performance. We wish him, and all of the competitors, every success in the future, and have no doubt we will hear from many of them again.’