18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
NEW DATES: 2–23 October 2021
Why was the change of competition dates necessary?
The change of the dates of the Chopin Competition was necessary due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed in its wake. The decision about the change followed an extensive investigation of the circumstances and consultations with the Ministry of Health and the Chief Sanitary Inspector (GIS).
The two decisive factors behind the change of the dates are the high probability that the Chopin Competition would be held without live audience if it were held in October 2020, and the difficult situation of many pianists accepted to the preliminary round, who do not have appropriate conditions to practice, e.g. due to restricted access to highest quality instruments, and the lack of direct contact with their professors.
The competition is postponed by one year precisely. The following were critical for the choice of the new dates:
• the assumption that the situation will have normalised all over the world by 2021, and that the reasons that forced the change of dates will have been disappeared by then
• availability of jury members
• availability of the concert hall in the Warsaw Philharmonic
• practical considerations related to the tickets.
All tickets to the competition sold in three hours. Following the expectations, quite generally articulated by ticketholders, all tickets remain valid. Postponing the competition by precisely one year helps to manage the change so as to provide the ticketholders with maximum comfort and sense of security.
Similar decisions were made by other major music competitions, to mention the Queen Elizabeth Competition for Piano in Brussels postponed from May 2020 to May 2021.
It is the third time in history that the Chopin competition has not be held as intended.
Due to the Second World War, the 4th Chopin Competition was held not in 1942 but as late as in 1949.
The 5th Chopin Competition was postponed from 1954 to 1955, due to the dragging finishing works in the building of the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.
Headline news on the organisation:
• The composition of the jury of the 18th Chopin Competition does not change.
• The venue does not change either. The Competition will be held in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.
• The list of pianists accepted to the Preliminary Round does not change: the results from 2020 remain in force.
• There will be no additional qualifications or enrolment to the 18th Chopin Competition.
• The Preliminary Round will be held from 8 to 19 April 2021 as announced previously: over 160 pianists from all over the world will be auditioned live in the Chamber Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic.
• The 19th Chopin Competition will be held in 2025.
The Rules and Regulations of the Competition and all the news about the forthcoming edition can be found on the Competition’s official website: www.chopin2020.pl and in mobile apps available for iOS and android.
Tickets to the Competition remain valid.
Tickets can be returned according to the Regulations. Tickets returned by the end of 2020 will be reimbursed at full price.
To return the tickets, fill in the return form available here. More information concerning ticket returns can be found here.
It will be possible to buy the tickets that have been returned. If tickets are returned, the exact date of starting the sales of the additional ticket pool will be given late in 2020 on www.chopin2020.pl.
The current timetable
- 8–19 April 2021 – preliminary round
- 2 October 2021 – Inaugural Concert
- 3–7 October 2021 – 1st stage
- 9–12 October 2021 – 2nd stage
- 14–16 October 2021 – 3rd stage
- 17 October 2021 – celebrations marking the 172nd anniversary of death of Fryderyk Chopin
- 18–20 October 2021 – finals
- 21–23 October 2021 – concerts by the winners