Laureates of International Chopin Avenue and String Avenue Competitions - NOSPR

Artists from four continents will fly to Katowice to perform at the Winners Concert of the Chopin Avenue International Piano Competition and String Avenue International Competition – Wieniawski Edition.

The repertoire for children and adults, along with the captivating personalities of musicians from diverse cultures who perform at a very high level, will render the concert with an extraordinary character not only in its sound but also visually. It is not often that we may host such a multitude of cultures and artistic expressions on one stage.

Artists at the age of 6 to 50 will play the prize-winning pieces. This year's Jury of the Chopin Avenue Competition includes piano legends and university lecturers: Prof. Jerome Lowenthal – Head of the Piano Department at Juilliard School in New York and Juror of many international competitions; Prof. Miyoko Nakaya Lotto, a graduate of Juilliard School, Juror in many prestigious competitions including the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition; Prof. Young Sook Kim – graduate of École normale de musique de Paris, France; Prof. José Ramos Santana, a graduate of the Juilliard School, winner of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition; Prof. Hyunkyung Kate Lee, a graduate of New York University, with a PhD from the Catholic University of America, Juror in many prestigious competitions, including the International Mozart Piano Competition.

Musicians performing on string instruments were assessed by such celebrities as Prof. Michael Mermagen, a graduate of the Juilliard School, Head of the Violin Instruments Department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and artist-faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and School; Prof. Bartosz Bryła, Head of the Department of String Instruments, Harp and Guitar at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, laureate of the 8th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań; Prof. Beata Warykiewicz Siwy, who runs the Violin Class as well as the Violin Methodology at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, former Concertmaster of Radio Kamerorkest (Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra); Prof. Hyunkyung Kate Lee – Head of Jury; Alina Kurczewska – President of the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society in Poznań and Dr. Aleksander Dańda – Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Hong Kong acted as the Honorary Members of the Jury.

Both Competitions have become a platform promoting Polish culture and history internationally. Poland as a country is still overlooked and its value and beauty fascinate foreigners once discovered. Chopin Avenue Competition and String Avenue Competition – Wieniawski Edition, as platforms based on the works of Fryderyk Chopin and Henryk Wieniawski promote not only music and culture, but also encourage a visit to Poland in order to deepen understanding of the works of these composers. Participation in the competitions extends beyond rivalry. Participants hone their piano skills, broaden knowledge about Chopin and Wieniawski, their life and music, sharpen musical sensitivity and learn about cultural differences and their implications.

Chopin Avenue and String Avenue aim to become a meeting place for artists in the real and virtual world. Educational, competition and concert opportunities provide a context for fostering an international community whose members network and develop their personal and artistic skills.

Artists, however, are not the only focus group that the Chopin Avenue and String Avenue initiatives have in mind. The other group is the audience, especially the youngest one, whose minds have been seduced by computer games and mobile phones, and who have become involuntary captive to television and social media. Following the spirit of times, we will look into the merger of the classical and the digital worlds in order to remind young people of the pleasures and benefits of the classical arts even in the modern world.