Shiori Kuwahara on stage during the finals of the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on October 20. (©W. Grzedzinski / NIFC via Kyodo)
The final results of the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition were announced on October 21. The finals, held from October 18 to 20 in Warsaw, Poland, featured 11 performers including two from Japan: Shiori Kuwahara (30) from Tokyo and Miyu Shindo (23) from Obu City, Aichi Prefecture.
Kuwahara shared fourth prize with Tianyao Lyu of China. Other finalists came from the United States, Poland, Georgia, Malaysia, and Canada.
Results:
- 1st Prize – Eric Lu (US)
- 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 (US)
The Chopin Competition is considered one of the three most prestigious in classical music, alongside the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Known as a stepping stone for young performers, it is generally held every five years.
Past winners include Argentine pianist Martha Argerich and Russian-born Stanislav Bunin. Among Japanese participants, Mitsuko Uchida placed second in 1970, and Kyohei Sorita placed second in 2021. No Japanese pianist has ever won first place.
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Author: JAPAN Forward, based on reporting from Kyodo News.
