The 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition has concluded in Warsaw, with Eric Lu (United States) winning the Gold Medal and First Prize.
The results were announced around 2:30 a.m. local time on the steps of the Hall of Mirrors at the Warsaw National Philharmonic, following three evenings of final performances held from 18 to 20 October.
The announcement was broadcast live on the Fryderyk Chopin Institute’s YouTube channel and on chopincompetition.pl, continuing a long-standing tradition that dates back to the early editions of the competition.
Main prizes
🥇 1st Prize – Eric Lu (United States)
🥈 2nd Prize – Kevin Chen (Canada)
🥉 3rd Prize – Zitong Wang (China)
🏅 4th Prize – Tianyao Lyu (China); Shiori Kuwahara (Japan)
🏅 5th Prize – Piotr Alexewicz (Poland); Vincent Ong (Malaysia)
🏅 6th Prize – William Yang (United States)
Special prizes
🎵 Best performance of Mazurkas – Jehuda Prokopowicz (Poland)
🎵 Best performance of a Concerto – Tianyao Lyu (China)
🎵 Best performance of a Sonata – Zitong Wang (China)
🎵 Best performance of a Polonaise – Tianyou Li (China)
🎵 Best performance of a Ballade – Adam Kałduński (Poland)
The remaining finalists received equivalent distinctions funded by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
Jury reflections
After the announcement, jury chair Garrick Ohlsson said that the panel had extensive discussions about the artistic merits of the contestants, emphasising the remarkable level of performance in this centenary edition.
Eric Lu
Born 15 December 1997, Eric Lu studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and first gained international prominence by winning the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018.
He has performed with major orchestras including those of Boston, London, Chicago, Tokyo, Finnish Radio, and Shanghai, as well as the Los Angeles, Oslo, Luxembourg, Stockholm, and Warsaw Philharmonic.
His recital appearances include the Kölner Philharmonie, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Seoul Arts Centre, and Bozar Brussels.
He has released two albums on Warner Classics, featuring works by Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms.
After receiving the Gold Medal, Lu said: “I’m so grateful for this honour, and grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world – and to the jury. This is a dream come true.”
Kevin Chen
Born 7 March 2005, Kevin Chen (Canada) studied with Colleen Athparia, Krzysztof Jabłoński, and Marilyn Engle, and currently works with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover.
He has already won two major competitions – the Concours de Genève (2022) and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv (2023) – and has performed at Carnegie Hall, London’s St John’s Smith Square, and at festivals such as La Roque-d’Anthéron, Duszniki-Zdrój, and Chopin and His Europe.
Zitong Wang
Born 3 February 1999 in China, Zitong Wang studied with Dang Thai Son at the New England Conservatory.
She has won first prizes at the Rosalyn Tureck Bach Competition (New York, 2010), at Princeton (2020), and in Ferrol, Spain (2022), and received sixth prize at the Busoni Competition (2023).
Her recital debut took place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing when she was just 13. She has performed with the Philadelphia, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Galicia symphony orchestras, working with conductors such as Jahja Ling and Xian Zhang.
A centenary edition
The 2025 competition, held from 2 to 23 October, marked the 100th anniversary of the event.
Out of a record 640 applicants, 162 pianists took part in the preliminary rounds, and 84 competitors from 19 countries reached the main stage.
The largest national representation came from China (28), followed by Poland and Japan (13 each).
The finals featured 11 pianists, who performed Chopin’s concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Andrzej Boreyko.
Broadcast and audience reach
According to the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the competition attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers across platforms, with Shiori Kuwahara’s final performance drawing a record 71,000 live viewers on YouTube.
This year also marked the first time the competition’s performances were streamed live on TikTok, alongside broadcasts on TVP Kultura, Polish Radio, and the Chopin Institute’s multilingual social media channels.
Legacy and prestige
Held for the first time in 1927, the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is organised every five years by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
Devoted exclusively to Chopin’s music, it has launched the careers of legendary pianists including Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Yundi Li, Rafał Blechacz, and Seong-Jin Cho.
The previous winner, in 2021, was Bruce Liu of Canada.
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