Lost in music: why piano competitions must address the gender gap

All five finalists at the last Leeds piano competition were male - a far from unique competition scenario. Now, the event's CEO explains how they are dismantling barriers for female musicians

Just over a month ago a hard-hitting report about misogyny in music was published by the UK parliamentary women and equalities committee. The report contained personal accounts that showed not only that inequality is still pervasive in the world of classical music, but that women are enduring an unacceptable level of sexual abuse and harassment, often being silenced with non-disclosure agreements to protect those in power.

Like so many of my colleagues, at first I did not recognise this version of our beloved profession, which after all, is going through a difficult enough time. But recently I was challenged after presenting our own research - an interviewer said: It clearly is sexism - how can you call it anything else?" And when you see the scale of the problem, it's hard to find another explanation.