Chopin Competition
For Young Pianists
The Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition for Young Pianists will take place on March 3-4, 2018 in Washington D.C. It was created to promote the legacy of Poland’s greatest composer as well as to promote the compositional output of Poland’s important 20th-century composers such as Paderewski, Szymanowski, Bacewicz, Tansman, and others. The idea was inspired by the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition in New York, which since 1949, continues to inspire young pianists from the New York City area. In past decades, the winners of that competition included some of the most celebrated personalities in the classical music world, such as Van Cliburn, Ian Hobson, and Murray Perahia among others.
Our goal is to attract the most talented young pianists from the Washington D.C. tri-state area, to highlight the legacy of Polish composers, and to give the participants an opportunity to perform at renowned Polish centers, such as the Embassy of Poland, where they will be able to perform on Paderewski’s own piano, and the beautiful venue of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.
The competition is comprised of three age categories: category one is for pianists twelve years of age and under, category two is for pianists thirteen to fifteen years of age, and category three is for pianists sixteen to eighteen years of age. The awards include cash prizes, performance opportunities at the Embassy of Poland in Washington D.C. and the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, as well as scholarship and performance opportunities at the 2018 Puerto Rico International Piano Festival in San Juan. All pianists in these three age categories are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is December 20, 2017. More information can be found on our website at: www.chopincompetitiondc.org
