Cycle of Giving

Annual Giving

2020 has been a year like no other and the arts industry faces challenging years ahead. The Cycle of Giving is our annual giving program which supports vital aspects to the competition.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a cycle of 32 piano sonatas. So it is that 32 of the world’s most promising young pianists will compete in the Sydney International Piano Competition once every four years. In recognition of the kind of patronage that supported Beethoven while he composed his cycle of piano sonatas, we have devised our own program for patronage called The Cycle of Giving.

Why Do We Need Your Support?

The Sydney is a not for profit and we receive minimal financial support from government sources. Your support will continue 40+ years of history in providing a platform that nurtures the next generation of world class pianists. As a Cycle of Giving supporter you play a pivotal role in helping us achieve this goal through your donation.

Your patronage will be directed to vital aspects of the Competition, essential to supporting our young musicians, including:

  • an inspiring competition for our young artists
  • a nurturing environment for creative success

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More Information about the seven levels of the Cycle of Giving

The Pathétique – $100 Donation
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor Op.13

The Sonate Pathétique was written in 1798 when Beethoven was 27 years old and was published in 1799. Dedicated to his patron and friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, it has remained one of Beethoven’s most celebrated and beloved compositions.

The Moonlight – $250 Donation
Piano Sonata No.14 in C♯ minor Op.27 No.2 ‘Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia’

The Moonlight Sonata was completed in 1801 and dedicated the next year to Beethoven’s pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The piece is as enduringly popular now as it was in Beethoven’s own day.

The Tempest – $600 Donation
Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2

The Tempest, composed in 1802 was, like the Moonlight, not given this title by Beethoven, nor indeed referred to as such during his lifetime. The name comes from a claim by his colleague Anton Schindler that the sonata was inspired by Shakespeare’s play.

The Waldstein – $1,000 Donation
Piano Sonata No.21 in C Major Op.53

The Waldstein, composed in 1803, when Beethoven was 33 years old and already deaf, is one of the three most notable sonatas of Beethoven’s middle period. The sonata’s nickname derives from Beethoven’s dedication to his patron and close friend Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein of Vienna.

The Appassionata – $2,500 Donation
Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor Op.57

The so-called Appassionata is another of the three most famous sonatas of Beethoven’s middle period and was dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick. The Sonata was not nicknamed during the composer’s lifetime, but by the publisher of a four-hand arrangement of the work in 1838. It was Beethoven’s own favourite and there is no doubt the nickname is apt.

Les Adieux/Das Lebewohl – $5,000 Donation
Piano Sonata No.26 in E♭ Major Op.81A

The French attack on Vienna, led by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1809, forced Beethoven’s patron, the Archduke Rudolph, to leave the city. Beethoven composed the sonata in 1810, dedicating it “on the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration”.

The Hammerklavier – $10,000 Donation
Piano Sonata No.29 in B♭ Major Op.106

Again dedicated to his patron, the Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven’s Hammerklavier is the mightiest of his sonatas and one of the most challenging in the entire piano literature.


To discuss further please contact: Philanthropy and Development Director Miranda Davis on +61 2 9241 3291 or by email.