The Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, is dedicated to preserving the authentic sound of Chopin’s music. It places high importance on historical accuracy, musical heritage, and artistic excellence. By allowing pianists to use period instruments, they have a chance to develop their full range of skills. Every rising pianist should face this challenge. The competition aims to reveal the genuine character of Chopin’s compositions and bridge the gap between contemporary audiences and the musical genius of the past.

The second edition of the competition was held from October 5 to 15, 2023, in the prestigious venue of the Warsaw Philharmonic. Pianists had access to a remarkable collection of period pianos, including Erards from 1838, 1849, and 1855, Pleyels from 1848 and 1854, and a Broadwood from 1843, as well as replicas of period instruments generously lent from European collections.

Jury: Paolo Giacometti, Yves Henry, Tobias Koch, Václav Luks, Janusz Olejniczak, Olga Pashchenko, Ewa Pobłocka, Andreas Stainer
Head of the jury: Wojciech Świtała

Winners: 1st prize – Eric Guo (Canada), 2nd prize – Piotr Pawlak (Poland), 3rd prize ex aequo – Angie Zhang (USA), 3rd prize ex aequo – Yonghuan Zhong (China)

The winner, Eric Guo, will perform in Brussels as part of the Bozar Next Generation series.

photo: B.Barczyk/NIFC

Recital 100% Chopin by Eric Guo
Bozar Next Generation
November 19, 11:00-12:00
Bozar
Henry Le Boeuf Hall
Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Brussels

More information

photo: W.Grzędziński/NIFC

Eric Guo – Born in Toronto, on 1 August 2002, he started learning piano aged four. He is currently an undergraduate in Piano Performance (Honours) under David Louie at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has performed in Europe, the US and Canada, including at Chopin’s Birthplace in Żelazowa Wola, the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, Cracow Museum, the Salle Cortot and Bibliothèque Polonaise in Paris, NYC’s Merkin Hall (broadcast on WQXR), North Carolina Museum in Raleigh and Koerner Hall in Toronto. He has appeared alongside such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, Ural Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Minnesota Symphony and Ontario Philharmonic. He has won the top prize in many competitions, including PianoTexas, Canadian Chopin, Minnesota e-Piano, Hastings Concerto Competition and Moscow Chopin. He has participated in festivals and courses in Radziejowice and Cracow (Poland), Brescia and Eppan (Italy), and Texas, Gilmore and Miami (US), and at the Curtis Summerfest and Orford Musique. He has also been named one of CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30. In October 2023 he has won the Second International Chopin Competition on period instruments in Warsaw.