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The Semi-Annual Magazine of the Chopin Foundation of the United States

Polonaise Spring 2014

“The CFX piano is a beautiful and powerful instrument. The action is

sensitive, the sound brilliant. I know I can create exciting performances

with this piano.”

– Martina Filjak, First Prize, Cleveland International Piano Competition, 2009

“The Yamaha CFX piano opens a new world of sound for pianists. The

instrument is very responsive and powerful. It is an extraordinary piano.”

– Denis Matsuev, First Prize, International Tchaikovsky Competition, 1998

“For me, the most important aspect of any piano is its tone. Simply put,

the Yamaha CFX piano produces colors like no other instrument.”

– Alexander Kobrin, First Prize, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2005

“The Yamaha CFX piano is my best possible friend. It talks to me, sings

to me, and never lets me down. Together with this instrument, in every

concert, I am able to bring my audience to a transcendent place filled

with exquisite tones, expressive sounds, and a breathtaking dynamic

range. The CFX is an extraordinary piano!”

– Olga Kern, First Prize, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2001

AP5365 Polonaise Magazine Horiz_Layout 1 9/20/13 2:55 PM Page 1

CHOPIN FOUNDATION OF THE UNITED STATES, INC.

Officers & DirectorsKrzysztof Penderecki - Honorary Chairman

Blanka A. Rosenstiel - Founder & PresidentOlga Melin - Vice President

Dr. William J. Hipp - Treasurer Rebecca Baez - Secretary

Dr. Adam Aleksander - Artistic AdvisorJadwiga Viga Gewert - Executive Director

DirectorsAgustin Anievas, Roberta O. Chaplin, Douglas C. Evans, Rosa-Rita Gonzalez, Renate Ryan, Lorraine Sonnabend

Regional CouncilsMack McCray – San Francisco Chopin Council

Allan Park – Northwest Chopin Council

Scholarship CommitteeDr. Adam Aleksander, Agustin Anievas, Dr. Hanna Cyba

Advisory BoardBonnie Barrett – Yamaha Artist Services

Dr. Shelton Berg – University of Miami Frost School of MusicRon Losby – Steinway & Sons

International Artistic Advisory CouncilAgustin Anievas, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Jeffrey N. Babcock, John Bayless, Luiz Fernando Benedini, John Corigliano, Ivan Davis,

Christopher T. Dunworth, Charles Dutoit, Nelson Freire,Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Gary Graffman, Horacio Gutierrez, Marta Istomin, Byron Janis, James Judd, Cyprien Katsaris,

Zoltan Koscis, Garrick Ohlsson, Paloma O’Shea, Daniel Pollack, Maurizio Pollini, Abbey Simon, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski,

Michael Tilson Thomas, Charles Wadsworth,Susan Wadsworth, Krystian Zimerman

EditorialPolonaise is published semi-annually by the

Chopin Foundation of the USA1440 79th Street Causeway, Suite 117, Miami, FL 33141

Editorial Office: 305-868-0624 • 305-865-5150 (Fax) E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.chopin.org

Publisher: Lady Blanka A. RosenstielExecutive Editor: Jadwiga Viga Gewert

Editor/Graphic Designer: Barbara Muze Contributors: Beata Paszyc, Lynne Schaefer,

Mack McCray, Allan Park

VOLUME XXIV/NUMBER 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Founder and President ............................................................. 2

Chopin Foundation Donors and Contributors ........................................................ 3

Message from the Executive Director ................................................................... 4

This Season’s Highlights ......................................................................................... 5

Looking Ahead to Next Season .............................................................................. 6

2015 National Chopin Piano Competition - Rules & Repertoire (centerfold pull-out section) ............................................................. 7

San Francisco Chopin Council ................................................................................ 12

2014 MTNA Chopin Prize Winners ........................................................................ 12

Northwest Chopin Council ..................................................................................... 13

Follow the Text, by Murray McLachlan ................................................................... 14

Chopin Foundation Scholarship Program .............................................................. 15

International Federation of Chopin Societies ........................................................ 16

Support Young American Pianists .......................................................................... 17

Copyright © Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cover Photo: Warsaw - Tulips, Polandby Alberto Carrasco Casado

Polonaise Spring 2014

“The CFX piano is a beautiful and powerful instrument. The action is

sensitive, the sound brilliant. I know I can create exciting performances

with this piano.”

– Martina Filjak, First Prize, Cleveland International Piano Competition, 2009

“The Yamaha CFX piano opens a new world of sound for pianists. The

instrument is very responsive and powerful. It is an extraordinary piano.”

– Denis Matsuev, First Prize, International Tchaikovsky Competition, 1998

“For me, the most important aspect of any piano is its tone. Simply put,

the Yamaha CFX piano produces colors like no other instrument.”

– Alexander Kobrin, First Prize, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2005

“The Yamaha CFX piano is my best possible friend. It talks to me, sings

to me, and never lets me down. Together with this instrument, in every

concert, I am able to bring my audience to a transcendent place filled

with exquisite tones, expressive sounds, and a breathtaking dynamic

range. The CFX is an extraordinary piano!”

– Olga Kern, First Prize, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2001

AP5365 Polonaise Magazine Horiz_Layout 1 9/20/13 2:55 PM Page 1

Dear Friends,

A great number of music lovers around the world share Nietzsche's admiration for the music of Frédéric Chopin. From the very beginning, The Chopin Founda-tion has made it a prime mission to make Chopin's music accessible to all, and it is truly our pleasure. So deep is our dedication to encouraging the playing of Chopin's music and developing avid "Chopinists," that by this time next year we will turn Miami into the center for Chopin’s music for almost ten days! I invite you to learn the details of the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition outlined in this magazine. Mark your calendars now so you can hold these dates open and join us in Miami for the festivities! We are especially excited about the Opening Gala Concert where all nine jurors of the competition will show their pianistic skills in an all-Chopin program. The jurors list will be announced soon, but I can assure you that all of them are not only great pianists, but also experienced and highly respected adjudicators. It will be their task and responsibility to select the best young American pianists to represent the United States in the grandest Chopin piano competition of them all in Warsaw, Poland in October 2015.

For those young pianists who still haven't made up their minds whether to apply, we have reprinted the rules of the competition, including the required reper-toire. The application deadline is November 3, 2014!

And the deadline for the Warsaw competition is just a month later. Anyone who wants to go to Warsaw must submit a separate application. We have made every effort to make the entire application process easy, so the rules and regulations for the U.S. competition are almost exactly the same as War-saw, including the application form.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Music Teachers National Association for their tremendous cooperation in helping us reach young mu-sical talent across the country so they may be part of our scholarship program and the National Chopin Piano Competition. I remain filled with gratitude to the individual music teachers who link us to talented students and who guide them so wisely.

My appreciation goes also to our caring members, sponsors and supporters, without whom we would not be able to continue our mission so successfully.

I truly look forward to seeing all of you, my fellow music lovers, during the upcoming season - your support and participation is essential for the success of so many future musicians. Thank you.

Affectionately and musically yours,

Blanka A. Rosenstiel

Message from the

Founder Blanka A. Rosenstiel, Founder and President

“For Chopin I would be willing to give up all other music.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo, 1888

2 // POLONAISE SPRING 2014

FOUNDERLady Blanka A. Rosenstiel

GRAND BENEFACTORS Miami-Dade County Department of

Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, The Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners

Florman Family Foundation, Mark Blank, ChairmanBrenda Bruce FountainHarvey & Roberta Chaplin Sascha Gorodnitzki Foundation Keith & Agnieszka GrayMarvin & Isa LeibowitzDavid & Olga MelinThe Rosenstiel FoundationSouthern Wine & Spirits of AmericaJoseph & Ligia Wiegand Family Foundation Yamaha Artist Services New York

BENEFACTORS American Institute of Polish CultureAgustin & Carol AnievasAudrey Love Charitable FoundationBaer Foundation, Karla BaerRebecca BaezGeorge BerberianThe Beveridge Family FoundationBroward County Main Library & Friends of the Fort Lauderdale LibrariesThe City of Coral GablesChopin ImportsDr. Allan & Susan DunnEmbassy of the Republic of PolandRobert & Wilma FithianGreater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Chris GarvinLenore GaynorClifford & Norma HallJadwiga HendersonDr. William & Frankie HippMiami-Dade Community FoundationDrs. Jacek & Barbara PaszkowiakPiano Music CenterRenate RyanAlicja SchoonoverLorraine SonnabendAnna UklejaLigia Wiegand

PATRONSHilda AndrewsClaudine AssousEvelyn AxlerIsa Baez Philip F. BalbiLinda BalentEric Berger Ophelia Bertran Enrique BlondetThor Bruce, PhDJanusz Burzynski & Frances MarionNancy CanaryS. Peter Capua, Esq.Buddy & Dianne CohenLucette Comer Carmen CuencaSandra DavisDr. Boa-Tran DoanDr. Carlos DominquezNorman EdelcupWendy Erikson Douglas Evans

Olga Figueras Florence FowlkesMargarita GarciaPatricia Garffer Pamela Garrison & Kirk LandonDonna GenetDalia GlottmanMarcia GreenJuan GuzmanHerbert & Madeleine HillsbergRikki ItzkowitzRichard JannottiAlma KadragicLeda KwiatekDr. Idalia LastraJesus & Silvia LastraDr. Joseph LavinioRichard & Terry LubmanKent Lynn & Greg Thomas Dr. Lucy Madariaga & Carlo SinceriDipnarine Maharaj & Jacqueline Gouvea Teresita MestreHilda MitraniAvis Lee NeimanWilliam Nigh & Carole RomerDr. Carlos PerezMike PeriuElizabeth & Ralph PiotrovskyNydia Reddy Daisy RichardsonNestor Rodriguez Mary Rosen Richard & Anne RosenfeldCarol SadowskiFred SeltzerSophia SieczkowskiDolores Seidon Sandra Simon

Linda SmoakClaudine Smurfit John & Mary SponskiClara SredniPeter Steinberg Barbara StephensBarbara & Eric ThorsenLiliana & Duane TreemanJacqueline TuozzoloJon VerbalisGerrit & Tatiana VerburgJean WarnerLisa Werner & Peter SeiteJenny Wendland Robert WilliamsonL.Lee Wouters

FRIENDSFranklin AbelSonia AlcazarPenelope ArangoDonald BennettCarolina Buia-BarefootShirley & Irwin CadeskyAnna CodyJack CohenCarlton & Andrea ColeDory CruzRosemaire CurasiRobert DavisIris DebbJoan DezellManny EggersGrecia FalconCandido Font Merle FrankJadwiga GarbacikElayne GarverGlady Gold

Chuck GreifJane HartPetrina HurlbertDolores KaminskiSusan KaplanEmily KlarreichRandolph KopperIris Lash, PhDNorman LeathersKaren LesnickiEdna LevineBarbara LevyAnnabella LouRobert ManriqueMaria MedinaRamon MiguezMiara Mooi WiltenLi Chiung MoyantBarbara MuzeDennis NewmanMargaret NorwoodMary Beth PurchaseBarry RabinowitzMarcel RitterEdith RobinArnold RosenbergBarbara RudzieckaLaura ShurikAudrey SkoppLiana StantonAmanda SuarezDean TaylorAnthony TraveisRichard VazMigdania VegaAdam WegrzynekJoanna ZarembaCatherine Zurl

In Memory of Annette KlemowJohn Cavanaugh

In Memory of Paul David RothCathy Jo CozenAnn FullerStan GetzJerome KaplanAndrea Torres

Local Partners in the ArtsClassical South Florida 89.7FM WLRN 91.3FMSunday Afternoons of MusicFriends of Chamber Music of MiamiMiami Herald/El Nuevo HeraldDiario Las AmericasFestival MiamiSt. Martha’s Concert SeriesUniversity of Miami RSMASThe Village of Key Biscayne

National Partners in the ArtsNational Music CouncilMusic Teachers National Assoc.American Pianists AssociationNorthwest CouncilSan Francisco Chopin CouncilEl Paso Chopin Festival

International Partners in the ArtsInternational Federation of Chopin SocietiesInstitute of Fredyryk ChopinInternational Paderewski Piano Competition

Donors & Contributors2013-14 Fiscal Year

We extend our deepest thanks to those whose vision and support have helped us in our mission: to develop the next generation of great musicians.

May we continue to add to this esteemed roster others who would join us in our mission.

POLONAISE SPRING 2014 // 3

The past season of concerts in South Florida has been more exciting than ever. In our Chopin for All Free Concert Series, sponsored by Southern Wine & Spirits of America, we traditionally present young outstanding musicians. This season almost all of them were Americans. Corbin Beisner in Novem-ber, brothers Drew (piano) and Erik Petersen (baritone) in December, Conlan Miller in January, and in February Lindsay Garritson. In March a new winner of the Int’l Paderewski Competition, Zheeyoung Moon from Korea, came to South Florida as an exchange artist. The April concerts, as usual, featured se-lected local piano students, in two concerts, in all-Chopin programs. In May, the 18-year old American pianist, Micah McLaurin, will close the season.

A duo from Poland, Aleksandra Kuls (violin) and Marcin Koziak (piano), opened the Chopin Salon Series in November, followed by Claire Huangci, the winner of our 2010 Chopin Competition, who returned to us by popular demand in

Message from the

Executive Director Jadwiga Viga Gewert

January. Sean Chen, winner of the 2013 American Pianists Association Fellow-ship, and the 3rd Prize at the 2013 Cliburn Competition completed the series.Our Chopin’s Birthday Celebration this year consisted of three concerts, with the March 1st Gala Concert in the middle. The Gala Concert featured great pianist Sergei Babayan playing solo and with the Amernet String Quartet. They performed at the Manuel Artime Theater, the future venue of our 2015 Na-tional Chopin Piano Competition. With Adam Aleksander on February 23th and Margarita Shevchenko on March 9th we completed three weeks of cele-brations.

The new Season Schedule has been announced which is enriched with the inclusion of the open-to-the-public 2015 Chopin Competition sessions - the majority of them are free. Please join us for the new season’s concerts and, of course, we would love to see you at the competition!

Have a wonderful summer.

April 2014 Chopin for All Concerts featured outstanding young local piano students.

Thirteen students performed at the Broward County Main Library in Fort Lauderdale Twelve students performed at the Granada Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables


Highlights From Our Current SeasonNovember 2013

December 2013

Janurary 2014

February 2014

March 2014Corbin Beisner Marcin Koziak & Aleksandra Kuls

Drew & Erik Petersen . . . . . . with Marvin & Isabel Leibowitz & their Grandma, Marie Smith

Conlan MillerLady Blanka with Claire Huangci

Lindsay Garittson Adam Aleksander with Guests at Reception

Chopin’s Birthday Concert star, Sergei Babayan with Iga Henderson & Lady Blanka

Margarita Shevchenko with Board member Lorraine Sonnabend & Lady Blanka

Zheeyoung Moon with Andrea & Carlton Cole Sean Chen with Maestro Grzegorz & Barbara Nowak


Southern Wine and Spirits of America’s Chopin for All FREE Concert Series

All concerts are presented in two locations:

Saturdays at 3 PM at Broward County Main Library100 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale

Sundays at 3 PM at Granada Presbyterian Church950 University Drive, Coral Gables

October 11 & 12, 2014Ivan Moshchuk, award winning young American pianist

November 15 & 16, 2014Melos Buza – young exchange pianist from Kosovo

April 25 & 26, 2015Finalist of the 2015 National Chopin Piano Competition

May 16 & 17, 2015 Finalist of the 2015 National Chopin Piano Competition

June 13 & 14, 2015 Finalist of the 2015 National Chopin Piano Competition

2014-2015 Season ScheduleThe Chopin Foundation of the United States

is pleased to announce the dates for our exciting new Season!

Ivan Moshchuk

Melos Buza

Margarita Shevchenko


Chopin Salon Concerts Sundays at 4 PM La Gorce Country Club, Miami Beach

November 9, 2014Margarita ShevchenkoInternationally renowned Russian-American pianist

April 12, 2015Winner of the 2015 National Chopin Piano Competition

Ninth National Chopin Piano CompetitionFebruary 20 to March 1, 2015Manuel Artime Theater, Miami

February 20, 2015Meet the Jurors, Opening Night Gala Concert

February 21 – February 26, 2015Competition - Free Sessions

February 28 and March 1, 2015Competition Finals and Awards Ceremony

POLONAISE FALL 2013 // 9

F E B R U A R y 2 1 – M A R C H 1 , 2 0 1 5 | M A N U E L A R T I M E T H E AT E R , M I A M I , F L

National Chopin Competition Prizes:

F IRST PR IzE $75 ,000 The largest cash award of any piano competition in the U.S. & automatic acceptance to the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition & concert performances in the United States and abroad

SECOND PR IzE $35 ,000 and automatic acceptance to the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland

THIRD PR IzE $20,000

FOURTH PR Iz E $ 10,000

FIFTH PR IzE $5 ,000

SIXTH PR IzE $4 ,000

Semi-finalists not advanced to the finals - $1,000 each Special Prizes for: Best Mazurka, Polonaise, Sonata & Concerto - $1,000 each

Third through sixth place finalists: also receive an all expense paid trip to Warsaw, Poland to attend the Preliminary Round of the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition in April 2015.

Awards will be announced and presented on March 1, 2015.

The National Chopin Piano Competition of the U.S. is designed to offer performance opportunities and financial support for young American pianists and to enable Prize Winners to take part in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. Initiated in 1975, and held in Miami every five years, the National Competition closely follows the regulations and requirements of the International Chopin Competition.

The Competition is open to pianists holding U.S. citizenship (native born or naturalized), born between 1985 and 1999, representing a professional level of performance.

(Previous First Prize Winners of this Competition are not eligible.)

Finalists of selected piano competitions* may be admitted to this competition without having to participate in a selection process, as long as they meet the above mentioned requirements and submit a properly completed application with all attachments.

*List of selected competitions:

- Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Music Competition - Ignace J. Paderewski International Piano Competition - Van Cliburn International Piano Competition - Cleveland International Piano Competition - Hamamatsu International Piano Competition - Leeds International Piano Competition - Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition - Santander International Piano Competition - Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition - American Pianists Association’s Classical Fellowship

The Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition Of The United States

Please remove this centerpiece and keep handy for NCPC reference POLONAISE SPRING 2014 // 7

10 // POLONAISE FALL 2013

APPLICANTSThe following should be included with the completed application form:

1. Proof of age and of U.S. citizenship (i.e., birth certificate, passport)

2. Two letters of recommendation from renowned pianists and/or teachers of national standing stating that the applicant is prepared to enter the Competition.

3. Copies of diplomas and/or certificates from schools of music.

4. Three current color photographs, including at least one head-shot, to be used in the Competition publication material (electronic version preferred: 300 -1200 dpi; accepted format: jpg, gif, bmp, jpeg.)

5. A short biography of the applicant (up to 1,000 characters) and documents showing artistic activities and achievements for the last three years (reviews, concert programs, awards, etc.).

6. A DVD recording containing (a) complete program required for Stage I of the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition (see Repertoire Stage I listing), and (b) one Mazurka chosen from the following opuses: 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59. The works may be performed in any order, with the exception of the set of etudes which have to be performed one after another. The recording must be made by a single camera, with no cuts during the performance of the work, right profile to the camera, with the pianist’s whole silhouette and hands visible. The DVD should be clearly labeled, including pianist’s name, list of the recorded pieces in order, the edition of Chopin’s works used and the duration of each piece.

7. A check or money order for the entrance fee of $100.00 (non-refundable) made payable to the Chopin Foundation of the United States. The fee may be sent electronically by PayPal.

An application form, along with all required material, must be received by the Chopin Foundation by November 3, 2014. (For all material sent by mail, the postmarked deadline is Nov 3, 2014.) The application may be submitted electronically to [email protected], or by mail. The original copy of the application (with signature) and the DVD must be sent by mail, addressed to:

Chopin Foundation of the United States 1440 79th Street Cswy, Suite 117

Miami, FL 33141

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Submitted documents will not be returned.

A candidate who has supplied misinformation on his or her application or on the attached material will be automatically disqualified.

The Admission Committee, consisting of acclaimed American pianists, will select not more than 26 contestants and up to 4 alternates. All applicants will be notified by email of acceptance or rejection by January 1, 2015. This notification will constitute an agreement between the Chopin Foundation of the U.S. and the candidate concerning his/her admission and participation in the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition, in accordance with the rules specified herein.

Please note: a separate application needs to be submitted to the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw by December 1, 2014. More information at: http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en

T HE R U LES OF THE 2 015 NATIONAL CHOPIN P IAN O COMP ETIT ION OF THE UNITED STATES

F E B R U A R y 2 1 - M A R C H 1 , 2 0 1 5 - M I A M I , F L O R I DA

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ACCEPTED CONTESTANTS1. Travel expenses to and from Miami are the responsibility of the contestants. They will be housed in private homes; practice facilities and local transportation provided.

2. Contestants not advanced to the next round are not obliged to stay for the remainder of the Competition, but are invited to do so.

3. Contestants must arrive in Miami no later than 12 noon on Thursday, February 19, 2015. Transportation from the airport will be arranged.

4. Upon arrival, contestants will immediately register with the Competition Committee at a designated location.

5. All contestants will be required to attend a briefing session on Thursday evening and at the same meeting draw for the order of performance for all stages of the Competition through the Semi-Finals.

6. The Chopin Foundation reserves the right to produce and distribute, without restriction or fee, audio or video recordings of the entire Competition or parts thereof, including the Finals.

7. Sessions may, by permission of the Competition Committee, be:

a) broadcast live on radio/television/internet

b) filmed and/or recorded on film, tapes and records for subsequent broadcast, telecast or film documentary

c) photographed by and for the press or for other publicity purposes, all without fee to the participants.

8. The Competition Repertoire must be played from memory.

9. The texts of all available editions of Chopin’s works are admissible; however, the organizer recommends the Urtext of the National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin (ed. Professor Jan Ekier).

10. Competitors are obliged to specify in their applications the edition of Chopin’s works they will be using and the exact timing of each work.

11. A competitor may alter his/her program for any stage of the Competition by informing the Chopin Foundation of the change by January 31st, 2015.

12. The same piece cannot be played in different stages of the Competition.

13. The First-Prize Winner will be responsible to appear in all concert engagements arranged by the Chopin Foundation.

JURy1. The Competition Jury will consist of nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians.

2. Jurors will disqualify themselves in the case of contestants who are related to them or have had a direct personal or professional relationship at any time during the five years preceding the Competition.

3. The Jury makes final decisions as to awarding prizes and distinctions.

4. The Jury’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

5. The Competition Director’s decisions are final on all matters outside the competence of the Competition Jury.

ADDITIONAL RULES: All Competition performances, held in three stages and the finals, will be open to the public.

The Jury will advance to the second stage not more than 18 contestants, not more than 12 to the semifinals, and up to six to the finals.

INTERNATIONAL FRYDERYK CHOPIN PIANO COMPETITION

Warsaw, PolandApplication deadline: December 1, 2014

Preliminary Round: April 13-24, 2015 Competition Rounds: Oct 2 – 22, 2015

More information at www.konkurs.chopin.pl/en

Please remove this centerpiece and keep handy for NCPC referencePOLONAISE SPRING 2014 // 9

12 // POLONAISE FALL 2013

STAGE I

1. Two Etudes, one from each group (a & b) indicated below: a) From Op. 10: C major No.1, C-sharp minor No.4, G-flat major No. 5, F major No. 8, C minor No. 12; From Op. 25: A minor No. 11.

b) From Op. 10: A minor No. 2; C major No. 7, A-flat major No. 10, E-flat major No. 11; From Op. 25: A minor No. 4, E minor No. 5, G-sharp minor No. 6, and B minor No. 10.

2. One of the following pieces: • Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3 • Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1 • Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 • Nocturne in G major, Op. 37 No. 2 • Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 • Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op. 48, No. 2 • Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2 • Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1 • Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No. 2 • Etude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3 • Etude in E flat minor, Op. 10 No. 6 • Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 7

3. One of the following pieces:• Ballade in G minor, Op. 23 • Ballade in F major, Op. 38 • Ballade in A flat major, Op. 47 • Ballade in F minor, Op. 52 • Barcarole in F sharp major, Op. 60 • Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49 • Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20 • Scherzo in B flat minor, Op. 31 • Scherzo in C sharp minor, Op. 39 • Scherzo in E major, Op. 54

The pieces may be performed in any order except the Etudes from groups a) and b), which have to be played one after the other.

STAGE II1. One of the following pieces:• Ballade in G minor, Op. 23 • Ballade in F major, Op. 38 • Ballade in A flat major, Op. 47 • Ballade in F minor, Op. 52 • Barcarole in F sharp major, Op. 60 • Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49 • Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20 • Scherzo in B flat minor, Op. 31 • Scherzo in C sharp minor, Op. 39 • Scherzo in E major, Op. 54 • Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major, Op. 61

2. One of the following Waltzes:• in E flat major, Op. 18 • in A flat major, Op. 34 No. 1 • in F major, Op. 34 No. 3 • in A flat major, Op. 42 • in A flat major, Op. 64 No. 3

3. One of the following Polonaises:• Andante Spianato and Polonaise in E flat major, Op. 22 • Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op. 44 • Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53 • both Polonaises from Op. 26

4. Any piece or pieces by Fryderyk Chopin (if the hitherto performed part of the repertoire does not exhaust the minimum time limit indicated below).

Performing time in the second stage: 30–40 minutes.

Competitors who played one of the Scherzos in the first stage, in the second stage should choose another genre from the first group.

The pieces may be performed in any order (except Op. 26). Should the contestant overrun the time limit, the Jury may stop his/her performance.

STAGE III1. Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 35 or Sonata in B minor, Op. 58, or all Preludes, Op. 28.

Repetition of the exposition in the first movement of the B minor Sonata should be left out; repetition of the first movement of the B flat minor Sonata is optional.

2. Full set of Mazurkas from the following opuses: 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59

Mazurkas must be played in the order they are numbered in the opus. In the case of opuses 33 and 41 the following number applies:

Op. 33: G-sharp minor No.1 C major No. 2 D major No. 3 B minor No. 4

3. Any piece or pieces by Fryderyk Chopin (if the hitherto performed part of the repertoire does not exhaust the minimum time limit indicated below).

Performing time in the third stage: 50–60 minutes.

The pieces may be performed in any order (except the Mazurkas and the Preludes).

Should the contestant overrun the time limit, the Jury may stop his/her performance.

FINALSOne of the following Concertos: E minor, Op. 11 or F minor, Op. 21. The finalists will perform with orchestra.

The competit ion repertoire contains solely works by Frédéric Chopin

Op. 41: E minor No. 1 B major No. 2 A-flat major No. 3 C-sharp minor No. 4

Please remove this centerpiece and keep handy for NCPC reference

REqUIRED REPERTOIRE OF THE 2 015 NATIONAL CHOPIN P IAN O COMP ETIT ION OF THE UNITED STATES

F E B R U A R y 2 1 - M A R C H 1 , 2 0 1 5 - M I A M I , F L O R I DA


Our Sponsors

The Chopin Foundation’s programs are sponsored in part by theMiami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural

Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board ofCommissioners; the City of Coral Gables; numerous generous

individuals; and the following:


The current 2013-2014 season has been an exciting and productive one so far for the San Francisco Chapter. Our annual Holiday Concert featured the winners of the 2013 Young Pianists Chopin Competition, plus an invited guest, Chenchen Zhang, a prize-winning pianist from Shanghai, who is now studying for her Master’s Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory. The Holiday Concert took place at one of our favorite places in San Francisco, the beautiful Queen Anne Hotel, on December 6, 2013.

We were also honored and thrilled to have the First Prize Winner of the 2010 National Chopin Competition, Claire Huangci, perform at our annual Chopin Birthday Concert on February 22, 2014. Claire gave a stunning per-formance to an enraptured audience. Post-concert festivities with the Cho-pin Chapter Board Members took place at a famous San Francisco restau-rant, Betelnut. Claire then flew directly to Seattle, where she gave the same wonderful concert for the Northwest Chopin Council.

We are now looking forward to the next Young Pianist Competition which takes place in June. The 19th Annual San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists is open to pianists fifteen years old or younger, residing or studying in the San Francisco Bay Area in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma. The Competition will take place on June 7, 2014 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, California.

Chopin Foundation Council of San FranciscoMack McCray, president

The Chopin Foundation of the USA awards a “Chopin Prize” for the best per-formance of a Chopin work to finalists in Junior and Senior categories of the Music Teachers National Association’s Piano Performance Competitions. The winners are selected by the Competitions’ adjudicators at the MTNA Com-petitions Finals and announced at their respective Winners Announcement Ceremonies. Piano competition entrants are not required to perform a work by Chopin as part of their competition program, however, the Chopin Prizes are awarded exclusively to those finalists who do.

MTNA Junior Piano Competition - $500 cashMTNA Senior Piano Competition - $1,000 cash (or a $1,000 stipend as a First Year Recipient in the Chopin Foundation’s four-year Scholarship Program for Young American Pianists)

2014 MTNA Chopin Prize winners

Junior Piano Category Elisabeth Tsai, Birmingham, AL Teacher: Ronald Shinn, Birmingham, AL

Senior Piano Category Henry Wang, Rochester, MN

Teacher: Alexander Braginsky, Minneapolis, MN

Congratulations and keep up the good work!

2013 San Franciso Council Holiday Concert

Chopin Prizes at the 2014 MTNA Piano Competition


What a great season of fabulous Chopin music, concerts and more con-certs! With over 117 youths of all ages participating, the 2014 Chopin NW Festival was an event for all of us in the Northwest to remember. The University of Washington’s School of Music once again hosted our annual Festival which consisted of eight hours of adjudicating in three separate quarters by three judges, with a great help from volunteers. The win-ners’ concert was professionally recorded by Opus 4 Studios and it can be viewed at www.chopinnw.org.

The concerto division winner, Meili Zhang (12 years old), melted our hearts with a performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor, 2nd movement. After this memorable day of beautiful playing, award cer-emonies, roses, and gifts, our Chopin Board got to work preparing for Claire Huangci’s debut recital in Kirkland, Washington. With the financial support from our founder, Dr. Steven Lagerberg, we rented a magnificent concert hall fit for a King (or in this case, a Queen). Our San Francisco liaison, Mack McCray, helped us arrange Claire’s West Coast tour. Her program, which consisted of the complete Chopin Preludes, Andante Spi-anato et Grande Polonaise and Prokofiev transcriptions, received stand-ing ovations. As a way to draw more young attendees to this concert, we invited winners from the Chopin NW Festival to come on stage for special certificates, CD signings and group photo with the guest artist, Claire Huangci.

We are looking forward to the 2015 Festival as well as to promoting and encouraging our talented Northwest pianists to apply and compete in The Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition - in Miami next February!

ChopinFoundation Council of the NorthwestAlan Park, president


Here are the results of our 2014 Chopin NW Festival: DIVISION A (Ages 9 & under) WINNERS: Dora-Ziyan Chen, Jeremy Lin, Andy LeeHONORABLE MENTIONS: Young Jin Park, Daniella Tsang, Nicole Yang, Wil-liam Johnson

DIVISION B (Ages 10—12)WINNERS: Edward Zhang, Janet Phang, Meili ZhangHONORABLE MENTIONS: Emily Park, Quennie Nguyen, Eric Shen, Dante Hays, Sherri Xu, Claire Kim, Alex Muyang Zhang, Jenna Everard, Ann Shan, Jaden Zhang, Jonathan Shu, Allyson Kim

DIVISION C (Ages 13—15) WINNERS: Alexander Lu, Shannon Cassady, Gene PakHONORABLE MENTIONS: Preston Lee, Christopher Son Richardson, Tiffany Shen, Jason Dan, David Zhao, Adrian Fan, Leah Deobald, Bryan Zhao

DIVISION D (Ages 16—18 ) WINNERS: Andrew Barnwell, Andrew Liu, SukWoo LeeHONORABLE MENTIONS: Amanda Shu, Tristan Greeno, Wilhelmina Esary, Maia Stiber, William Huang, Max Ma

Young Pianists Competition Winners Honorable mention laureates with Claire Huangci

Take heed of the composer’s musical instructions, urges IP tutor Murray McLachlan

Follow the textIF YOU WISH TO PLAY WITH AUTHORITY, CONVIC-tion and style then it is essential that you follow all the instructions written into your music by the composer. Tempo indications, dynamics, pedalling, articulation and phrasing must be assimilated, care-fully noted and then ‘recreated’ in sound as you practise. Work at this with the same consideration and devotion given to striving for technical security.

Do not think of the composer’s markings as candy floss: The chances are that the author of the piece

you are currently working on was much busier than you are, so why would he take the effort to fill his music with details if they were not vital to his mu-sic? If the composer of your pieces thought it was worthwhile taking the necessary time to write in precise dynamics and razor sharp articulation into the music, then the very least he deserves is re-spect from you – and an attempt to recreate exactly what is on the printed page in terms of dynamics, articulation and everything else.

In some cases it could well be argued that the dy-namics and articulation marks on the score are ac-tually more important than notes themselves. This is easy to understand when it is remembered that tone quality and shaping of groups of notes (rather than the notes in isolation) can be the most beauti-ful factors in a performance.

In order to arrive at convincing dynamics in your repertoire try playing each marked dynamic in a piece you are studying at four different levels (for example at pp, p, mf and f). Be as precise as you can with your dynamic differentiations in this use-ful exercise. When you return to playing the piece at the written dynamic levels, make sure that you are mentally relating the tone you produce at every moment to the three other dynamic levels that you practised beforehand. The point is that your ‘inner

ear’ should be aware of sounds both louder and softer than the sounds you are producing at any one time. As a result of this you will have the sense of a ‘tonal hierarchy’ in your inner ear, and be able to produce a convincing range of sounds in all of your performances.

Faithfully reproducing instructions from the com-poser that relate to pedalling, phrasing and artic-ulation can be worked at in a different way. Begin working at a passage with mixed articulation (slurs and staccatos) by playing everything legato. You can then ‘colour’ the passage by gradually adding in all the articulation in slow tempo – possibly hands separately at first – before attempting to play hands together.

This same approach works well when attempting to pedal exactly as the composer has written. It is so

much easier to ‘add in’ pedal from a ‘bone dry’ practice attempt with no involvement from the feet than to try and take pedalling away from a smudged, incoherent texture.

If we can achieve the equivalent of an ‘aural pho-tograph’ by closely reproducing marks on the text as we play then there will unquestionably be more authenticity in our playing than if we wilfully ignore the composer’s written instructions. However re-production is only the beginning of interpretation. As you become more confident, experienced and adventurous you will find that the challenge is not so much to show the difference between ‘forte’ and ‘piano’ as to find a way of capturing the partic-ular quality of tone within the prescribed dynamic marking indicated. There is so much more to ad-vanced interpretation than literal reproduction. But it is vital as a first step to begin by following the printed text. This is an essential prerequisite if you wish to achieve true integrity in performance.

Prolific in the recording studio and ever-busy on the concert stage and as a teacher, Murray McLachlan is recognized as one of the finest pianists from the U.K. of his generation.

This article was originally published in July/August 2013 issue of International Piano. International Piano is available online at www.international-piano.com or via email at: [email protected]. IP is also available as an interactive digital maga-zine from pocketmags.com, iTunes and GooglePlay – read on your iPad, iPhone, Android device, Kindle Fire or computer. App FREE, single issues £4.99.

In some cases it could well be argued that the dynamics and articulation marks on the score are actually more important than notes themselves


Scholarship ProgramFor Young Pianists

Requirements, Repertoire and How to ApplyThe purpose of the Chopin Foundation Scholarship Program is to support and encourage young, talented American pianists through up to four years of preparation for the National Chopin Piano Competition of the United States, which is held in Miami, Florida, every five years.

Up to ten (10) renewable scholarships of $1,000 are awarded each year on a competitive basis to outstanding young American pianists who demonstrate a specialaffinity for the interpretation of Frédéric Chopin’s music. In addition, the Scholarship Committee may grant half-awards in the amount of $500 to qualified applicants. A half-award may be granted to an applicant only once during the four-year program.

EligibilityThe Scholarship Program is open to all qualified American pianists (US citizens or legal residents) not younger than 14 and not older than 17 years of age on April 15 of their first year of application.

RenewalThe scholarships are renewable for up to four years as long as the recipient con-tinues to study piano, maintains satisfactory academic progress, and each year submits a DVD of an unedited performance of the Chopin works required for that year for evaluation. The Scholarship Committee may accept an application of the returning applicant even if one year was skipped within the four-year period. Any applicant who was not awarded a scholarship may reapply the following year, submitting a new DVD of the music of his/her choice from the repertoire required for the year in which he/she was not accepted. Reapplication is allowed only once while in the Scholarship Program.

RepertoireYear 1: 2 Etudes, 2 Nocturnes, and your choice of: a Ballade or Barcarole in F-sharp Major Op. 60 or Fantasia in F Minor Op. 49Year 2: 6 consecutive Preludes from Op. 28 played in order, 2 Waltzes, and 2 MazurkasYear 3: 1 Sonata and 1 of the following Polonaises: Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise in E-flat Major Op. 22 or Polonaise in F-sharp Minor Op. 44 or Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major Op. 61Year 4: 1 of Chopin’s two Concertos – all movements

Procedure Applicants must submit a formal application (available at www.chopin.org/scholarship), along with:(1) Statement of career goals.(2) Two references from piano teachers or professional piano performers.(3) 2 copies of the DVD recording of Chopin’s works as required for Years 1 – 4, above,

recorded in one session. The recording must be of professional quality, but cannot be edited. The DVDs must be clearly labeled with the applicant’s name, address and works performed. Please indicate the edition used for each piece. The recording must be certified for accuracy and completeness by a qualified person such as a teacher or audio technician. Please ensure that the DVD discs are compatible with regular DVD players.

(4) Proof of current school enrollment/statement of being homeschooled. (5) Non-refundable $25.00 application fee (check or money order only)(6) Optional: Attach additional page(s) to list significant repertoire studied. Place an

asterisk (*) by works performed in public. Attach copies of programs/reviews, if possible.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For the application form, please visit www.chopin.org/scholarship. Applications, along with all attachments listed above, must be received by May 1st. Scholarships will be announced by June 15. Please send completed applications to:

The Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc.Attn: Scholarship Committee

1440 79th Street Causeway, Suite 117, Miami, FL 33141

Phone: (305) 868-0624 •Web: http://www.chopin.org • Email: [email protected]


International Federation

Of Chopin Societies

Established in 1985 in Żelazowa Wola, Poland, the birth-place of Frédéric Chopin, IFCS as a global organization rep-resenting Chopin Societies from all over the world. Since 1989 the Federation has been a part of the International Music Council, which is a member of UNESCO.

The Board of the Federation is elected by the General Assembly for a five-year term.

Current Board of Directors

President: Theodor Kanitzer (Austria - Vienna)

Vice-Presidents: Ivan Klansky (Czech Rep.- Marianskie Laznie) Antoine Paszkiewicz (France - Paris)

General Secretary: Elżbieta Artysz (Poland - Warsaw)

Treasurer: Andrzej Merkur (Poland - Duszniki)

Members of the Board: Rosa C. Ferra (Spain - Valdemosa) Jadwiga Gewert (USA - Miami) Kazimierz Gierżod (Poland - Warsaw) Sookie Schober (Germany - Hannover) Ilse Schwarz Schiller (Germany - Taunus Oberursel) Horoyuki Takashima (Japan - Tokyo)

Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition

February 21 through March 1, 2015 Manuel Artime Theater • Miami • Florida

February 20 Opening Gala Concert “Meet the Jurors”

February 21, 22 Preliminary Round

February 23, 24 Quarterfinals

February 25, 26 Semifinals

February 28 Finals Part I

March 1 Finals Part II & Awards Ceremony

For more information please visit www.chopin.org

XVII International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition

April 13 – 24, 2015 Preliminary Round • Warsaw • Poland

XVII International Fryderyk Chopin Piano CompetitionOctober 2 through 23, 2015 • Warsaw, Poland

October 2 Inaugural Concert

October 3 – 7 First Round

October 9 – 12 Second Round

October 14 – 16 Third Round

October 17 Commemoration of the 166th anniversary of Fryderyc Chopin’s death

October 18 – 20 Finals

October 21 First Concert by the Winners

For more information please visit: http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvii 16 // POLONAISE SPRING 2014


CONTRIBUTIONS Please be generous and join us in our mission

yES, I want to help.Enclosed is my tax-deductible donation of:

The Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc., is a national non-profit organization headquartered in Miami, FL, and dedicated, since 1977, to the support of young American rising-star classical musicians through scholarships, performance opportunities and international exchange programs. The Foundation also offers these talented young pianists a chance to compete in the National Chopin Piano Competition of the USA, held in Miami every five years. The Chopin Foundation is committed to making classical music accessible to ALL by presenting a FREE Concert Series in two locations in South Florida. Our mission is carried out on the West Coast by councils in San Francisco and Seattle. The Chopin Foundation is a member of the National Music Council and the International Federation of Chopin Societies.

With your support, young talented American artists will receive the encouragement they need and the recognition they deserve. Thanks to your generosity, the music of Frédéric Chopin will be kept alive, enriching our lives and preparing new generations of classical music lovers.

What your Contribution Helps Fund: • National Chopin Piano Competition of the USA

• Chopin for All FREE Concert Series in South Florida • Four-year Scholarship Program for Young American Pianists, ages 14-17

• Winners Exchange Program with European counterparts

• Semi-annual Polonaise magazine, sent to all major music schools and music teachers across the USA; Chopin Societies around the world; our Scholarship Recipients, Young Pianists and Competition Applicants; and our Members

DONATIONS CAN ALSO BE MADE ON-LINE: WWW.CHOPIN.ORG

Donations to the Chopin Foundation of the United States are tax-deductibleto the extent permitted by law. The Foundation is a non-profit corporation

qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Chopin Foundation of the United States1440 79th Street Cswy, Suite 117

Miami, FL 33141

PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT:

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APPLy My DONATION TO:

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CHOPIN FOUNDATION OF THE UNITED STATES1440 79TH STREET CAUSEWAy, SUITE 117MIAMI, FLORIDA 33141

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