13 participants of the 19th Chopin Competition at concerts in the ‘Chopin Effect’ program

As many as thirteen Polish participants of the 19th Chopin Piano Competition performed in November and December as part of the ‘Chopin Effect’ program run by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Scientific Heritage, the program included 373 concerts – nine symphonic, 144 recitals, and 220 educational concerts. Among its key aims was focusing on smaller and very small cities, towns, and villages, in which residents, often deprived of the opportunity to experience live music, are at risk of cultural exclusion. The ‘Chopin Effect’ also aimed to maintain and deepen interest in classical music, which is fostered by the Chopin Competition – an event passionately followed by millions of listeners.

Performers at the ‘Effect’ concerts included Piotr Alexewicz, winner of the 5th Prize; Adam Kałduński, recipient of the Bella Dawidowicz Award for best performance of a ballad; and Yehuda Prokopowicz, winner of the Polish Radio Award for best performance of a mazurkas. Among the pianists performing in ‘Efekt’ were also Mateusz Dubiel, Zuzanna Sejbuk, Jan Widlarz, and Piotr Pawlak, just to name a few, all beloved by competition audiences. Welcomed with enthusiastic applause they visited regional philharmonic halls, cultural centres, museums, music schools, and even libraries.