Chopin Youth Piano Competition

I just came back from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I was one of the judges at the 6th Annual Chopin Youth Piano Competition. Chopin's music has an unsurpassed quality exploiting the piano's sound. Chopin played piano all his life starting from a very early age and developed an extremely sensitive and beautiful piano style. Chopin's music is ideal material for a competition because it shows all aspects of piano playing including the most important: being musical.

Having played Chopin through my entire life, I had a pretty good idea on what kind of sound and what kind of interpretation I would like myself. On the other hand, as a teacher who has sent students to competitions before, I was always curious as to what criteria judges want. Therefor I was often trying to lead students to stay relatively traditional in their performance. This proved to be a correct idea, a couple of performances at the competition were so "technical" that they became unmusical, and did not sound like Chopin's music to me or the other judges. So I thought, one might listen to established pianists like Arthur Rubinstein, playing the piece that you are working on.

Choosing the correct printed material is something I consider to be extremely important. Struggling with incorrect fingerings and outrageous dynamics is a waste of time. Pianists spend a significant part of their life looking at the music. There is a well-established tradition in publishing Chopin's music and good printed material is necessary. Mel Bay carries a whole line of Chopin's music that you can purchase.

Another thing that I have found unusual, was how close the judges opinions where. Yes, we did have some arguments, but those where very minor. It seemed that generally after all the technical debates, we went for musicians who captured our hearts. I always felt that I should support pianists who have something to say rather than just good students. Artistic personality is the only reason one should choose to be a musician. The fact that this is how the other members of the jury felt as well, was a very positive result of the competition for me. As a teacher I always wonder about what makes a winner and always hope that music will come first.

None of the above diminishes the technical aspect of piano playing. Playing piano is one of the most complex human activities I know. Chopin's music in particular is rather difficult to play. Besides being challenging in finger technique and wrist movement, it is also distinctively musical. That musicality is what makes it so intricate and involved, and is the reason for the tremendous popularity of Chopin's music. The Chopin Youth Piano Competition started in June 1999 and was founded by Monika & Lidia Sobierajski.

The idea of competitions like the Chopin Youth Piano Competition is very close to my heart. Performing Chopin's music in front of other people is a significant event in anybody's life. Listening and competing with others is very important for young pianists. There is always someone who will have a new word to say about Chopin. French composer Olivier Messiaen, when asked about the future of music for the 21st century, answered that it is the same: "music is always waiting for the new genius."