SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
Sydney, 27 August 2026
Shane Simpson AM appointed Chair of the Sydney International Piano Competition
Distinguished arts lawyer and cultural sector leader to guide the Competition into its 50th Anniversary year and shape its next half century
The Sydney International Piano Competition has announced the appointment of distinguished arts lawyer and cultural leader Shane Simpson AM as Chair of its Board, as the organisation prepares for its landmark 50th Anniversary Competition in July 2027.
Mr Simpson brings more than four decades of leadership across Australia’s arts, cultural, legal and philanthropic sectors. Mr Simpson is the founder and Special Counsel of Simpsons, a law firm specialising in entertainment, arts and intellectual property.
He founded the Arts Law Centre of Australia and Prelude, the national network of composers’ houses, and has devoted much of his career to strengthening the legal and institutional foundations of Australia’s cultural life.
He is currently a member of the Council of the National Library of Australia and Chair of its Council Governance Committee, Chair of the Ethics Advisory Group of the National Gallery of Australia, and an independent director of several private foundations.
Artistic Director Piers Lane AO said Mr Simpson’s appointment came at an important moment in the history of the Sydney International Piano Competition.
“The 50th Anniversary gives us a remarkable opportunity not only to celebrate what has been achieved since the Competition was founded in 1977, but to determine what we want the competition to become over its next 50 years,” Mr Lane said. “Shane has spent much of his professional life advancing Australia’s major arts organisations. His experience in philanthropy, government, business and cultural leadership will be a great asset to the Competition and its future success.”
Mr Simpson said he was honoured to take on the role at such a significant point in the Competition’s history.
“The Sydney International Piano Competition is one of Australia’s great cultural organisations. Its founders had the ambition to bring the finest young pianists in the world to Sydney and, in doing so, placed Australia firmly within the international musical community,” Mr Simpson said. “The 50th Anniversary is a moment to honour that extraordinary legacy, but it is also an opportunity to look forward. I am delighted to work with Piers Lane, Mark Coughlan, my fellow Directors and the wider community of artists, supporters and partners to ensure the Competition has the strength, reach and sustainability to flourish for generations to come.”
Mr Simpson succeeds Tracie Elvidge, who has served as Chair during an important period of transition and renewal following the COVID pandemic. Mr Lane thanked Ms Elvidge for her contribution to the organisation and for guiding the Competition through this challenging period.
“Tracie has given generously of her time, energy and commitment to the Competition, and we are very grateful for her leadership and support,” Mr Lane said.
The 50th Anniversary Sydney International Piano Competition will be held from 9 to 24 July 2027, bringing 32 exceptional young pianists from around the world to Sydney. The Competition begins at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and culminates in the concerto finals at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Founded in 1977 by Claire Dan AM OBE, Rex Hobcroft AM and Robert Tobias OAM, the Sydney International Piano Competition has established an international reputation for musical excellence, discovery and cultural exchange, introducing generations of outstanding young pianists to Australian and international audiences.
About Shane Simpson AM
Shane Simpson AM is one of Australia’s most respected arts and intellectual property lawyers and has held leadership positions across a wide range of Australian cultural organisations.
He founded the Arts Law Centre of Australia in 1983 and Simpsons Solicitors in 1986, and was also the founder of Prelude, a national initiative providing composer residencies in historic houses around Australia.
His former chair positions include the Bundanon Trust, Sydney Youth Orchestras, Studio A, the NAISDA Foundation, Museums and Galleries NSW, the NSW Film and Television Office, the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation and the Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers’ House Trust.
He has also served on boards and councils including the Australian National Maritime Museum, the New Zealand Film Commission, the Australian National Academy of Music, the National Association for the Visual Arts, the Crafts Council of Australia, the Music Council of Australia, Sydney College of the Arts, the UNSW Foundation, the Copyright Agency and the Arts Law Centre of Australia.
A widely published author on arts, music, intellectual property and cultural property law, his books include the standard reference work Music Business and, most recently, Collections Law & Ethics: Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums (2025), co-authored with Ian McDonald.
Mr Simpson has twice been commissioned by the Australian Government to conduct independent reviews: into copyright collecting societies in 1994 and, in 2015, into the protection of movable cultural heritage through Borders of Culture.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2011 for service to the law and the arts through leading roles in intellectual property and entertainment law and his contribution to cultural organisations. In 2019, the University of New South Wales awarded him an honorary Doctor of the University.
ENDS
ABOUT THE SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
Founded in 1977, the Sydney International Piano Competition is one of the world’s leading piano competitions and a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. Through its parent body, Piano Plus Australia, the Competition also presents a national program of concerts, festivals and education activities.
The 50th Anniversary Competition will be held in Sydney in July 2027, marking half a century since the Competition was founded. It will bring together an international field of exceptional young pianists, a distinguished international jury and audiences in Australia and around the world.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Peter Leunig, Director of Philanthropy
Piano Plus Australia and the Sydney International Piano Competition
[email protected] | +61 438 878 899
pianoplus.com.au