National Chopin Piano Competition Lures Contestants With Largest Cash Prize in American Classical Music

This February, 26 contestants will vie for the top prize at the 10th National Chopin Piano Competition. These brilliant young American pianists will compete for the $100,000 prize, which is the highest award offered by any piano competition in the country. The Competition kicks off on February 22 and the winner will be announced on March 1, 2020.

The competitors come from all across the United States for the honor of competing for the top spot in the competition. The Chopin Foundation shared the list of the final competitors selected for the 10th National Competition: Alexander Agate, Nadia Azzi, William Davidson, Stanley DeLage, Avery Gagliano, Misha Galant, Umi Garrett, Chelsea Guo, Fantee Jones, Timothy Jones, Sherry Kim, Katie Liu, Anastasiya Magamedova, Dominic Muzzi, Mary Ogawa, Evren Ozel, Christopher Richardson, Victor Shlyakhtenko, Talon Smith, Daniel Szefer, Eric Tran, Athena Tsianos, Parker Van Ostrand, Chanel Wang, Victor Xie, and Min Joo Yi. 

Although the top prize is $100,000, there is an additional $79,000 in prizes to be claimed by runner ups, and there are more incentives than just cash prizes. The top two winners will be accepted to compete in the 2020 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and travel expenses to the International Competition will be paid for if any of the remaining six finalists are accepted to compete. 

The Chopin Foundation uses these prizes not only as a tool to entice the best and brightest in the piano world, but also to thank and honor the contestants for their unique skill set. In a world where it seems like many things are falling apart, sometimes music is the only thing that brings us together.

“From an early age, these talented pianists are dedicated and disciplined,” Chopin Foundation Founder and President, Mrs. Blanka A. Rosenstiel, said. “Their talent and hard work deserve this kind of reward and even more. The joy that their playing brings to this chaotic world is simply priceless.” 

The Competition’s jury is comprised of nine highly respected internationally renowned artists, and will be chaired by Kevin Kenner, an accomplished American pianist and winner of the top prizes at the International Chopin and Tchaikovsky competitions. Rounding out the jury for the 10th National Competition are Ning An, Edward Auer, Dean Kramer, Jon Nakamatsu, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Eva Poblocka, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron, and Margarita Shevchenko. 

To enjoy the competition, visit chopin.org to watch the professionally filmed live broadcast, or join the Chopin Foundation in Miami. All the National Competition events are free and open to the public except for the final rounds and anniversary gala concert starring Yulianna Avdeeva, the 2010 first prize winner of the International Chopin Competition.

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