The First International Youth Piano Competition "J'adore Chopin" in Tirana
10.03.2025
On the occasion of the 215th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Albanian Chopin Association, the First International Youth Piano Competition "J'adore Chopin", organized by the Albanian Chopin Association, took place at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana, from 1 to 6 March 2025.
The competition was co-financed by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana, the Italian Institute, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation of Albania, and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania.
The competition, dedicated to young talents, brought to Tirana more than 100 pianists from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Germany, as well as Georgia and Japan. Among the participants were also winners of other international piano competitions.
The pianists were 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 their first years after graduation.
The pianists' performance was assessed by an international jury, including a special guest from Poland, Prof. Maria Gabryś-Heyke, Ph.D. professor at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. An obligatory highlight of the program were selected works by Chopin, for which the jury evaluated all participants. There were also interpretations of piano works by Albanian composers performed by foreign participants.
A special public concert was held on the eve of the competition's closing ceremony, performed by members of the jury.
In the finals of the competition, the top three pianists competed for first place, performing the first movement of one of Chopin's piano concertos accompanied by the Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Albania under the baton of Polish conductor Sylwia Janiak-Kobylinska. The first prize in the Competition was won by Polish participant Maciej Domagała, the second prize was awarded by the jury to Ilaria Picci from Italy, and the third prize was awarded to Giulia Loperfido also from Italy.
In the youth group, the winner was Nemanja Radulovic from Montenegro, and in the children's group, 8-year-old Ei Fujimori from Japan.
In addition to the main prize of the “J'adore Chopin” competition, special prizes were also awarded:
- Prizes for the best interpretation of Chopin's works by Albanian pianists, funded by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana, were given to: Nikol Tuka - first prize, Lisa Sahatciu - second prize, and Elioz Sinani - third prize.
- Prizes for the best interpretation of an Albanian work by foreign pianists, funded by the Albanian Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, were won by Maciej Domagała from Poland - 1st prize, Tatia Abashishvili from Georgia - 2nd prize, and Giulia Loperfido from Italy - 3rd prize.
