Isaac Rogers, aged 17, from Warlingham, has been named as Trinity School’s Steinway Scholar for 2025-2026.
Ivories merchant: 17-year-old Isaac Rogers was an ‘obvious’ choice for this year’s Steinway Scholarship
Rogers is the 12th pupil to win the prestigious annual award, which challenges pianists to perform at an exceptional level.
Boys, and the girls in Trinity’s co-ed Sixth Form, have a bit of an advantage when it comes to piano practice, as the large independent school in Shirley has 25 Steinway pianos, including two Model D concert grand pianos and five other grand pianos, as part of a unique collaboration between the world-famous instrument-makers and the school. The school’s Steinway Suite is the first teaching facility of its kind in the world, offering outstanding practice and research facilities which enables everyone at the 1,000-pupil school to learn at least one musical instrument.
Steinway Scholar Rogers has been part of Trinity’s piano community since joining the school. He also attends Trinity Music Academy every Saturday, a programme that is open to all and supports talented young local musicians with high-level tuition and performance opportunities.
In Steinway and Sons’ 150th anniversary year, the scholarship was decided after a final audition which was adjudicated by Prof Mengyang Pan, from the Royal College of Music.
Rogers said, “I’m really excited to be named Steinway Scholar. It gives me a great bridge from playing piano in school to doing it at a music conservatoire after I leave.
“One of the things I am most looking forward to is playing a recital at Steinway Hall at the end of the year.”
Rogers has been playing piano since he was seven years old. “My mum encouraged me to start, and my whole family is musical, which really helped me grow.”
Richard Evans, Trinity’s head of piano and the Music Academy director, praised Rogers’ development. “He’s somebody who showed potential early on and is very ambitious. This year he’s taken it significantly further with greater intelligence, emotional depth, maturity and technical control.
“Isaac’s Mendelssohn in the final of the competition was excellent. It was a clear and obvious decision.”
Alongside piano, Rogers plays violin, sings and has a particular love of jazz. His musical life at Trinity has taken him to many places including performing in local care homes and spending three months singing in an opera in Sweden. “This scholarship will be a really special finisher to my time at school,” he said.
The award will connect Rogers with senior conservatoire professors and the wider Steinway network. “All of which will be highly beneficial to his career in the future,” Evans said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him grow even further this year and develop into the fine musician he is.”
As part of the scholarship, Rogers will receive lessons from Prof Vanessa Latarche, the head of piano at the Royal College of Music, he will attend a masterclass of his choice, perform in the Trinity Piano Festival, tour with elite musicians in 2026 and give a final recital at Steinway Hall in central London.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
