The Honens International Piano Competition takes place every three years, the last one in 2025. Every September, however, the Honens Festival brings a wealth of music to Calgary.
The Festival takes place from September 10 to 13, 2026, and takes a new approach to its annual programming. For the first time in its 12-year history, the Festival will be curated by a Honens Laureate.
Canadian pianist Winston Choi, 2003 Honens Laureate, has programmed the 2026 Festival, titled Echoes & Transformations.
The music will explore the ways that music and reflect, distort, and reinvent across time and genres.
Violinist MingHuan Xu will be joined by six pianists — Winston Choi, 2025 Honens Gold Laureate Élisabeth Pion, 2025 Honens Silver Laureate Carter Johnson, Honens Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker, 2018 Honens Prize Laureate Nicolas Namoradze, and Canadian jazz pianist Chris Andrew — through five concerts.
The annual festival also includes four free events, and a full-day Honens Lab symposium designed for both educators and performers. The program includes traditional recitals, outdoor performances, family-friendly events, and a relaxed concert for neurodiverse audiences.
“It was an honour to be invited to program the 2026 Honens Festival,” says Winston Choi in a statement. “As curator and performer, I wanted this Festival to explore how musical ideas resonate across time, allowing audiences to experience piano music in new and surprising ways. My time as a Honens Laureate transformed my career, and I am especially grateful to share the stage with recent Laureates, Honens Artistic Director, as well as other extraordinary collaborators. Together, we invite audiences into a festival of discovery, dialogue, and musical imagination.”
The Festival
The Festival is focused on artistry. This year, throughout the programs, technology will be used to expand the possibilities of the piano in various ways.
“Echoes & Transformations reflects a fresh perspective of Honens Festival and a natural extension of the Complete Artist philosophy, beyond our triennial Competition,” says Jon Kimura Parker. “This Festival puts the spotlight on our Laureates as Complete Artists. We’re asking them to not only perform, but to collaborate, curate, communicate, and innovate while exploring the piano’s evolving possibilities, and connecting with audiences in new ways.”
The Concerts
Dialogues with the Piano (September 10, 2026 at the Performance Hall, National Music Centre)
This concert blends live piano and digital performance, featuring Winston Choi, Jon Kimura Parker, and Carter Johnson. The trio will use Steinway & Sons Spirio player piano technology to perform live alongside their own pre-recorded performances. The result created a layered musical dialogue that multiplies voices, linking past and present. The showcase will be followed by an exploration of the expansive sounds of the piano.
Reverberations: Chopin Reframed: Élisabeth Pion in Recital (September 11, 2026 at the Performance Hall, National Music Centre)
2025 Honens Gold Laureate Élisabeth Pion returns to Calgary with Frédéric Chopin’s Études Op. 25, a work she performed during last year’s competition. She’ll perform the piece interwoven with works of other composers, including music by Schubert/Liszt, de Montgeroult, and Farrenc.
Bison Noir: Revisions in Real-Time (September 11, 2026 at the King Eddy)
After Élisabeth Pion’s recital, she’ll be joined across the street at the historic King Eddy hotel’s Bison Noir by Chris Andrew, Winston Choi, and Carter Johnson to perform both traditional repertoire and modern works on a Steinway & Sons Spirio self-playing piano.
Storytellers: Babar the Elephant (September 12, 2026 at the Performance Hall, National Music Centre)
In this charming morning concert, Carter Johnson brings Jean de Brunhoff’s classic The Story of Babar to life through music. This concert is designed for children and their families as an accessible introduction to classical music and storytelling.
Echoes in Motion (September 12, 2026 at the Performance Hall, National Music Centre)
From the Baroque to the modern era, this program revolves around dance forms across the centuries. The concert features violin, harpsichord, and piano, and performers Winston Choi, Carter Johnson, Jon Kimura Parker, and MingHuan Xu.
Classical Adaptations: Duo Diorama (September 13, 2026 at the Feature Gallery, TELUS Spark)
This free, relaxed, sensory friendly morning concert is open to everyone. With a laidback atmosphere, concert goers can move, make sounds, or listen comfortably as they wish. Winston Choi and MingHuan Xu will perform a program that includes music by Amy Beach, Paul Schoenfield, Igor Stravinsky, and Winston Choi.
Neurorecital: Nicolas Namoradze in Recital (September 13, 2026 at the Infinity Dome, TELUS Spark)
After its sold out premiere at the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition, this immersive concert experience is back. It combines art and science to allow audiences to experience the music in a new way. As Nicolas Namoradze performs live, his brain activity will be depicted via 3D animated visualizations that will surround the audience. Neuroscience comes together with virtuosic playing and cutting edge visual design for a concert like no other.
Details
- Find more details, including the full range of events, and tickets, [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.