400 hours of music – summary of the Chopin Effect project

“The Chopin Effect” is one of the most important and far-reaching projects that emerged in the aftermath of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The project aims to build and strengthen musical culture in Poland, primarily in communities and places at risk of cultural exclusion, where access to live music is limited—whether for geographic or social reasons, or due to the special needs of audiences.

Funded with the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritageand organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the “Chopin Effect” programme comprised 386 events: 144 recitals performed by young pianists (including participants in last year’s 19th Chopin Competition), 9 symphonic concerts, and as many as 233 educational events. The events took place from October to December 2025.

The Chopin Effect reached all Polish voivodeshipsand the vast majority of the country’s counties, as well as hundreds of towns and villages—from medium-sized cities such as Łomża, Częstochowa, Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Pszczyna,and Chełm, to small villages such as Łososina Dolnain the Małopolskie Voivodeship (with 1,500 inhabitants), Zawoniain Lower Silesia (home to just over one thousand residents), or Frysztakin the Podkarpackie region of a similar size—just three examples among dozens.

The Chopin Effect amounts to over 400 hours of concertsand approximately 58,000 listeners of all ages.
Here is a report on the course of the project.

Participants featured in the film

INSTITUTIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

Jan Miłosz Zarzycki
Director of the Chamber Philharmonic in Łomża

Jacek Rogala
Director of the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic

Marek Wroniszewski
Director of the Lower Silesian Philharmonic

Kamila Rosińska
Manager of the Cooperative Cultural Centre in Sieradz

ARTISTS

Aleksandra Bobrowska
Mateusz Dubiel
Wiktor Nykiel
Piotr Pawlak
Tomasz Ritter
Malina Sarnowska
Artists of the Syrenka Musical Theatre
Aleksandra Tkaczyk

Syrenka Musical Theatre
The “Słuchaj Uchem” Ensemble of Janusz Prusinowski
Ars Globalis Foundation
Creative Education Foundation
“Music Is for Everyone” Foundation
Kwartludium New Music Foundation
Muniania Foundation

Marcin Brachaand Michał Bruliński
Aneta Jucejko-Pałęcka and Wojciech Pałęcki
Tomasz Pawłowski
Malina Sarnowska
Aleksandra Tkaczyk