THE young Dublin pianist Finghin Collins (19) scored a remarkable personal success by reaching the semi finals of the Leeds Piano Competition earlier this month, writes Michael Dervan. Leeds is not a competition where Irish pianists have really managed to shine. Both Philip Martin and Miceal O'Rourke were eliminated in the first round in 1969. Johns O'Conor, now a regular member of the Leeds jury, suffered the same fate in 1972, and didn't get beyond round two in 1975, when he already had the first prize in the Beethoven Competition under his belt. To date, in fact, only one Irish pianist has ever made it to the finals of this particular competition, in 1987, when Hugh Tiney took fifth prize.

Finghin's success may already be instrumental in gaining him work at home. The Limerick Music Association's John Ruddock has booked him to replace the indisposed Piotr Anderszewski at the National Concert Hall next Wednesday, in a concert that's part of the LMA's 30th anniversary mini festival in Dublin. The advertised work, Brahms's Handel Variations is being replaced by Beethoven's Sonata in C minor Op. III.

Finghin's verdict on his Leeds experience is entirely positive. "I was delighted to be accepted in the first place and even more delighted to get as far as I did. It was wonderful, too, to hear all the other players, with their different styles and approaches. It's good to see where you stand, and the jury were very encouraging in the comments they made. An eye opener in every way.