Call For Participation

Hammer Down! Piano Competition 2026
Call for Participation!

April 19 – May 3, 2026
Purdue University Department of Music
In partnership with the Steinway & Sons Spirio Residency Program

The Purdue University Department of Music invites pianists to participate in the 2026 Hammer Down! Piano Competition, held as part of a two-week Steinway Spirio Residency. The competition will take place in the Laboratory for Audio & Music (LAMP) Recital Hall in Elliott Hall of Music. Participants will have the opportunity to practice and perform on the Steinway Spirio, one of the most advanced performance and recording pianos available today.

Divisions
Advanced Division (Ages 12–18) and College Division

Video Submission | Round I | April 6, 2026
Submit a video performance of two works from the following list:

Beethoven — Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (movement II)
Schumann — Träumerei, Op. 15 No. 7
Chopin — Étude Op. 10 No. 5 in G-flat major
J.S. Bach — Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847
Albéniz — Sevilla from Suite Española No. 1
Debussy — Clair de Lune

Memorization not required
Submit here *** by April 6, 2026.

Semifinal | Round II | May 2, 2026
Pianists to perform one of the two selected works

Final | Round III | May 3, 2026
3 finalists perform live
Awards Ceremony and Special Gala Concert by (((April33)))

Practice Opportunities
Registered participants may schedule practice sessions on the Steinway Spirio during the residency period at the LAMP Recital Hall between April 19 – May 3, 2026.           

Steinway Spirio Residency at Purdue
During the residency, pianists will have dedicated access to the Steinway Spirio in an immersive concert setting on an actual grand piano. The Spirio captures the nuances of performance and reproduces them with remarkable precision, allowing students to hear, see, and feel their playing reflected through sound, touch, and responsive key movement. In this setting, technology supports the instrument—and ultimately the musical gesture itself. The residency will also feature workshops, concerts, demonstrations, and public events exploring how evolving piano technologies can thoughtfully support teaching and artistic practice. These programs create space for dialogue among students, teachers, artists, technologists, and audiences. At Purdue, the piano is approached not only as a historic instrument, but also as a continually evolving technological achievement shaped in service of artistic expression. The residency examines how acoustic integrity, tactile feedback, and expressive nuance can be preserved—even across distance—through carefully designed hybrid systems. Emerging technologies and AI will be explored as tools that extend, rather than replace, the human dimensions of piano pedagogy—supporting deeper listening, refined feedback, and continuity beyond the traditional lesson setting. Through this initiative, Purdue University’s Department of Music and LAMP seek to support a connected future for piano study—where innovation remains grounded in and guided by the art it exists to serve.

Come Explore | Come Practice & Perform | Come Be Part of Something Extraordinary