We're proud to be the official piano partner for Manchester Jazz Festival 2022. As part of this partnership we have provided 13 pianos to be the #mjfpianotrail that have now been installed in venues across the city centre.We’re bringing music to the streets of Manchester this May with the mjf piano trail #mjfpianotrail, from May 6 – 29. There are 13 pianos scattered across Manchester for pianists to discover and enjoy. Many of the host venues have also asked to keep their piano after the Festival has finished which is great news for the 'street pianists' of Manchester! The map below reveals where you will find them.

And for those who think they can give Elton John a run for his money, a competition to find Manchester’s best street pianists will also run, with a whole raft of prizes up for grabs including a Yamaha P-45B piano, return ticket for 4 anywhere on the Northern Rail Network, a gift package and vouchers worth over £100 from Quayside Media City UK and a £30 Wagamama voucher for each prize winner. Technical talent or formal training is not necessary, and the competition is open to all from concert pianists to the occasional ivory tickler. The 13 piano’s will be located around the city at: The Arndale Centre, The Corn Exchange, Forsyth’s Music shop, Great Northern, Harvey Nichols, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Central Library, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Quayside Media City UK, Royal Exchange Arcade, Spinningfields, The Trafford Centre, and Manchester Victoria Station.Emma Loat, Manager of Forsyth’s Music, said:“For many years, we’ve had a street piano at the front of the Forsyth’s shop on Deansgate so we know that Manchester and the surrounding areas is full of talented musicians and those willing to have a go. “We’re really excited to supply 13 pianos for the mjf piano trail and we’d urge all those budding performers to come forward, have a go and be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes.”

mjf piano trail competition

Whether you play professional jazz or have never touched a note before there are no rules regarding who can apply, what kind of music you play and what your performance involves. At the end of the piano trail mjf and Forsyth’s will select 9 winners based on who showed the most creativity, ingenuity and gave the best performances. To be in with a chance to be named one of Manchester’s best street pianists:

1. find one of the pianos in the trail
2. capture a short video of your performance
3. post the video to your Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter account
4. tagging in @manchesterjazzfestival / @manjazzfest and using the hashtag #mjfpianotrail

If you don’t have a social media account, you can upload the video to an online player such as YouTube or Vimeo and/or email the video directly to us, using #mjfpianotrail as your email subject line.The prizes up for grabs are:

• Yamaha: Yamaha Digital Piano P-45B
• Wagamama: A £30 Wagamama gift voucher for all winners
• Doner Haus: Meal for up to 4 including pre/post drink
• Lion’s Den, Deansgate Mews: £50 bar tab
• Manchester Art Gallery: Afternoon Tea for two
• Jenny Jones: a pair of saxophone cufflinks or a soul stone necklace
• 20 Stories: Afternoon tea for two with a glass of fizz
• The Lawn Club: A complimentary pod booking and a bottle of Prosecco, for up to six people.
• Northern Rail: Four tickets at any time to anywhere on Northern rail network
• Quayside MediaCityUK: prize package includes: 2 x £25 Quayside Gift CardTwo lots of two tickets to Vue CinemaCopy of Salford Edition MonopolyTwo lots of two tickets for ITV Jungle Challenge

Read the mjf2022 piano trail competition T&C’s here