Arriving in Miami from across the country and 10 different states, the following candidates have been selected as the final competitors in 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. Visit chopin.org/meet-the-contestants for the pianists’ bios and more.
The stakes will be quite high during the four rounds of Competition as in addition to the $179,000 in cash awards, the top 2 winners of the National Chopin Competition will automatically be accepted to compete in the 2020 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. The first prize winner is also sent on an extensive concert tour in the U.S. and abroad arranged by the Chopin Foundation. The travel expenses to compete in the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw are included in the six finalists’ award package.
“From an early age, these talented pianists are dedicated and disciplined. Their talent and hard work deserve this kind of reward and even more,” Chopin Foundation Founder and President, Mrs. Blanka A. Rosenstiel, said. “The joy that their playing brings to this chaotic world is simply priceless.”
The Competition’s jury, comprised of nine highly respected internationally renowned artists, 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, Daniel Szefer Dean Kramer, Jon Nakamatsu, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Eva Poblocka, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron, and Margarita Shevchenko. “I think the Foundation is providing a valuable service to our culture,” said Kenner recently. “I don’t think that I could have developed the career that I have now and made my particular contributions to the music world had it not been for the Chopin Competition, as well as the support of the Chopin Foundation.”
The 10th National Chopin Piano Competition will take place February 22 through March 1, 2020 in Miami at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Considered a premier cultural destination, holding the Competition in Miami attracts visitors from outside the region, as well as an enthusiastic local audience.
LIVE STREAMING: Those not able to enjoy the excitement of the Competition in person will be able to watch professionally filmed live broadcasts on chopin.org.
