Chopin Piano Competition

The International Chopin Piano Competition was founded in 1927 by Jerzy Zurawlew and is held in the Warsaw Philharmonic every five years, in October, over about three weeks. It is one of the oldest competitions of its kind and among the most demanding, partly because the repertoire is restricted entirely to Chopin, which removes the option of playing to one's strengths. Winning it has launched careers - Martha Argerich in 1965, Krystian Zimerman in 1975, Rafal Blechacz in 2005, Bruce Liu in 2021 - and the jury has more than once declined to award first prize at all. The whole competition is broadcast and streamed free, watched by very large audiences in Poland and in East Asia in particular, and the city fills with people following it. Between editions, the Chopin Museum in the Ostrogski Palace holds his manuscripts, letters and the last piano he used.

What you actually see

• Three weeks of Chopin only - the restricted repertoire that makes it hard.
• The Warsaw Philharmonic - the hall where every stage is played.
• A career-making list - Argerich, Zimerman, Blechacz, Liu among the winners.
• Free broadcast - the whole competition streamed to a very large audience.

When to go

October, every fifth year. Several days.

Honest expectations

It runs in one month every five years - check the year before planning around it. Tickets for the later stages are extremely hard to get. The city is full. Between editions, the museum is the substitute.

Nearby

The Chopin Museum is at the Ostrogski Palace; Lazienki is south.