Month: March 2026
manchester jazz festival and Forsyth Music Shop have joined forces once again for the mjf2026 piano trail competition to find Manchester’s hidden talents across a trail of 18 street pianos – the largest piano trail in the UK – at locations across Manchester city centre and beyond into Greater Manchester.
From 29 March – 31 May, the mjf piano trail competition encourages everyone to get creative and just have fun. And for those who want to take part, there’s a chance to enter a competition to win a Yamaha digital piano and many more prizes!
There will be two ‘celebrity’ pianos from the BBC joining the piano trail this year. They’ve been in BBC Radio studios for decades and have been played by lots of famous people and bands, most recently the Verve and Rufus Wainright and back in the day, Paul McCartney and David Bowie!
THE LAUNCH
We’re delighted to announce that Emma Loat, Manager of Forsyth Music Shop, will launch the mjf2026 piano trail competition, which will take place from 2-3pm on Sunday 29 March at Trafford Palazzo, in recognition of International Piano Day. The launch will feature a live performance from local singer-songwriter Charlie Cooper and other guests to be announced soon on manchester jazz festival’s social media channels.
PRIZES
The prizes up for grabs so far are:
- Yamaha Digital Piano
- HOME Bar & Kitchen: Two course meal for two (including bottle of wine/soft drinks)
- mjf friends’ membership and tickets to an mjf2027 event of their choice
- Oldham gift card
- Plus more to be announced
PLAY IT FORWARD: STREET PIANO FUND
manchester jazz festival and Forsyth’s Music Shop are joining forces to fundraise for a BIGGER and better piano trail with their Play it Forward: Street Piano Fund campaign; to maintain and expand the current network of street pianos to reach new venues, boroughs and communities across Greater Manchester all year round. To find out more and how you can support, please visit: www.manchesterjazz.com/playitforward
PIANO TRAIL WALKING TOURS
After three years of sold-out tours, the piano trail walking tours are back! Join Josh from Free Manchester Walking Tours (FWMT) and his band, Sherpa K, as they follow manchester jazz festival’s famous piano trail across the city centre on Sunday 17 and Sunday 24 May (£12 per adult, children go free). There will also be live performances at some of the pianos on the trail, more information to be announced soon.
HOW TO ENTER THE COMPETITION
To be in with a chance of winning a prize, simply capture a short video of your tune, 5 minutes max, and post the video to your social media account (*not as a story). The competition closes at midnight on 31 May 2026. Tag mjf @manchesterjazzfestival on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok and use the hashtag #mjfpianotrail
There are no rules regarding who can apply, just have fun and get creative! At the end of the piano trail, mjf and Forsyth’s will select all winners, whose entries will be showcased on social media and YouTube.
Visit manchesterjazz.com/pianotrail to find out more about the piano trail, the walking tours and how to take part in the competition.
The mjf piano trail competition is delivered in partnership with the world-renowned Forsyth Music Shop of Deansgate and Yamaha pianos and is part of manchester jazz festival (mjf2026) which will take place at 12 venues across and beyond Manchester city centre from 15 – 24 May 2026. Visit manchesterjazz.com for more information and to book tickets.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This city-region has music running through its veins, and the mjf piano trail will take music back out onto the streets of Manchester, giving more people the chance to try their hand at playing and to encounter the vibrant music of our city in a really unique way.”
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 18 pianos to a growing number of venues 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.”
James Sargeant from Yamaha, one of this year’s piano trail sponsors, said: “We are thrilled to be working with the manchester jazz festival again this year in support of the mjf piano trail 2026. This fantastic initiative enables anyone and everyone to enjoy playing and listening to the piano, in some iconic locations across the city and of course, with the chance to win a Yamaha digital piano this is not an opportunity to be missed! We look forward to hearing lots of new talent which will no doubt emerge during the trail.”
The 18 piano locations are: Piccadilly Station, Manchester Arndale, HOME, Victoria Station, Great Northern, Spinningfields, Royal Exchange Arcade, Central Library, Forsyth Music Shop, Aviva Studios, Manchester Art Gallery, Salford Shopping Centre, Trafford Palazzo, Grand Arcade (Wigan), The Market at Spindles Shopping Centre (Oldham), Portland Basin Museum (Ashton-under-Lyne), Heywood Market (Rochdale) and Middleton Arena (Rochdale).
Follow manchester jazz festival:
Facebook at /manchesterjazzfestival
Instagram @manchesterjazzfestival
TikTok @manchesterjazzfestival
Hashtag for piano trail: #mjfpianotrail
For further information, high resolution images or to arrange interviews please contact: Jeni Illingworth
Special thanks to Forsyth’s for their support with the mjf2026 piano trail and to Yamaha pianos for supplying the grand prize of a Yamaha digital piano, and to the Free Manchester Walking Tours for collaborating with mjf for this year’s trail.
Today, across social media, we are marking International Women’s Day by sharing, celebrating and honouring ALL of our female-identifying artists taking to the stage for mjf2026. As the UK’s first festival signatory to Keychange, mjf has a long history of gender balance and representation throughout its work: not just in each festival line-up, but in our talent programmes, mjf staff, board, and in our approach to making the jazz sector a fairer place to work and enjoy music. We are proud to programme some of the best contemporary female–identifying stars spanning all ages across the jazz industry. Click here to view our full lineup.
But alongside all this, we’ve been fortunate to sit down and delve deeper into the craft of two of our most unique artists taking to the stage this year: Delphine Joussein (Nout) and Satnam Galsian. From a variety of different backgrounds, each artists’ work contains strong international links. Read on to learn a little more about their work, influences and advice for the next generation..
1.) For an audience that might not be familiar with your sound, how would you describe it?
Instrumental and organised chaos with punk energy. Come with your ears and heart wide open. Maybe with some good shoes too 🙂
2.) Your music is described as ‘the border of jazz and noise’? Could you share how you came to create and establish your sound? What influences shaped the music?
We come from jazz, classical, grunge, rock, noise music. We love to listen to many other aesthetics and they are all a part of us. What we do with our instruments is our personal vision of the sound, of the music, of the world :)… of what we believe looks the most like us.
3.) This is your UK debut! What are you most looking forward to on your trip?
A UK debut! YEAAAH UK!
4.) What can a Manchester audience expect from your gig? Maybe a mosh-pit?
A mosh-pit happened in France, so it may happen in Manchester…who knows! We hope that a Manchester audience will freely live their own experiences of the concert, that’s the best we can wish them.
5.) If you had one piece of advice for an early career female artist on the beginning of her journey with jazz, what would it be?
Be yourself and never give that up!
Nout will play Band on the Wall: The Copper Bar, Saturday 23 May @ 10 PM. Get your tickets HERE.
1.) Could you introduce yourself & your music to our audiences?
I’m a folk singer-songwriter from Leeds. I studied North Indian classical music for years – it’s similar to jazz in that there is a lot of improvisation in it! Through my music I explore both Punjabi & Western folk songs. I realised that Punjabi folk songs, in particular, come from a patriarchal point of view so, I like to reimagine them from a different perspective which is more empowering for women.
2.) What are you most excited for with this commission?
I’m looking forward to working on this commission with the manchester jazz festival, Oldham Coliseum as part of their Kushi Festival and the Old Courts in Wigan. My piece is called ‘Love or Sacrifice’ and I will be looking at the roles and expectations of women in South Asian Culture using punjabi folk tales as a starting point. I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with artists from different musical backgrounds.
3.) If you had one piece of advice for an early career female artist on the beginning of her journey with jazz, what would it be?
I would tell them to stay true to themselves, be authentic and take up space.
Satnam will play Aviva Studios: The Home of Factory International, Sunday 24 May @ 5 PM. Free entry, learn more HERE.