The First International Youth Piano Competition "J'adore Chopin"
27.02.2025
On the occasion of the 215th anniversary of the birth of the composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Albanian Chopin Association, the First International Youth Piano Competition "J'adore Chopin", organized by the Albanian Chopin Association, will be held at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana from 1 to 6 March.
The competition is co-financed by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Albanian Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation.
The competition, dedicated to young talents, will bring over 100 young pianists from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Germany, as well as Georgia and Japan to the capital of Albania. Among participants are also winners of other international piano competitions.
The young pianists are divided into several age categories: children and young people who are learning to play the piano, young people aspiring to a piano career and pianists in the first years after graduation.
Selected pieces by Chopin are a mandatory part of the program, for which all participants will be assessed. Interpretations of piano pieces by Albanian composers performed by foreign participants will also be assessed.
The international jury of the competition will include a special guest from Poland. Prof. dr hab. Maria Gabryś-Heyke, professor at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, will evaluate the performances of the young pianists throughout the competition.
The winners of the first places will compete for the main trophy of the "J'adore Chopin" competition.
In addition, two special prizes will be awarded:
- The best interpretation of Chopin by an Albanian pianist, funded by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana;
- The best interpretation of an Albanian piece by a foreign pianist, funded by the Albanian Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
On Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 PM, the awards ceremony will be graced by a final concert. Under the baton of Sylwia Janiak-Kobylińska, a Polish conductor and promoter of modern artistic education, the Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Albania RTSH will perform on the stage of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana with the participation of the winners.
In addition, on the day preceding the final concert, on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 PM, a special concert has been planned for the audience performed by members of the jury.
