Admission tickets, audition times – what you need to know before the 19th Chopin Competition

During stages I, II, and III of the auditions, participants are auditioned  daily in two sessions, morning (from 10 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m.) and  afternoon (from 5 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m.). The finals  begin at 6 p.m.

You can enter the Philharmonic Hall with a ticket, invitation, or admission tickets – in the latter case, please note that admission tickets will only be sold 10 minutes before the sessions and only if there are still seats available in the audience (to take their seats, admission tickets holders must wait until the last, third gong!). It is possible to enter or leave the hall during the session, but only between the performances of successive pianists, never during them. 

In the first stage, each participant performs a 30-minute recital – they play the pieces one after another in concentration, with
 applause coming only after the entire performance. (In the subsequent stages, the recitals are longer – the second stage consists of 40-50-minute performances, and the third stage consists of 45-55-minute performances).

There is no strict dress code at the Philharmonic, but it is worth taking advantage of such a special occasion to dress more elegantly than usual. By taking care to choose appropriate attire, we show respect above all to the performers, who take to the stage in suits and even tailcoats, and to the female performers, who usually wear beautiful evening gowns. 

One of the most important things is that when entering the hall, we must turn off or at least silence our cell phones – a ringing cell phone can ruin a pianist's performance, depriving them of the chance to advance to the next round of auditions and wasting years of hard work they had to put in to prepare for the competition. The recital must not be disturbed by any other noises – we do not whisper, open water bottles, take pills or chewing gum out of their wrappers, rustle or grunt.