Kevin Chen, a 20-year-old pianist from Calgary, took second place at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, while American Eric Lu came home with gold.
Chen was one of 11 finalists to perform the concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic under Andrei Boreyko in the final round of the competition, held on October 18, 19 and 20. Total 84 participants This year's event featured five Canadians, including Victoria Wong, Ryan Wang, Eric Guo and Athena Deng.
The winner was chosen after several hours of deliberation by an international jury of 17 people. chaired by American pianist Garrick Olsson. First prize in the 98-year-old competition includes a cash prize of 60,000 euros or approximately 98,000 Canadian dollars and gold medal from the President of Poland.
Chen will receive a silver medal and 40,000 euros (about 65,000 Canadian dollars), while China's Wang Zitong, who finished third in the competition, will go home with a bronze medal and 35,000 euros (about 57,000 Canadian dollars).
“When it all came down to first and second [place] and there was a dramatic pause, I kind of knew [Kevin's] the name had to be read either second or first,” said Janet Lopinski, president and artistic director of the Canadian Chopin Society, who watched Chen perform in Warsaw.
“And when they read his name, of course, we were very happy because he is still such a young man and he has so much ahead of him.”
Debuted with Abbotsford Youth Orchestra
Chen began studying piano when he was five years old and two years later made his orchestral debut with the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra. In 2013, when Chen was just eight years old, he was named to CBC Music's annual list of 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.
“His sensitivity and musicality are beyond what I am used to hearing,” said Calvin Dyke, director of the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.
“It’s tenderness and beauty that just touches your heart,” he added.
In 2023, he won first prize ($51,000) at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Masters Competition in Tel Aviv; in 2022, won first prize ($27,000) at the Geneva International Music Competition; and in 2021 he won first prize ($45,000) at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest.
Calgarian is now based in Hannover, Germany.
To qualify for the final stage of the competition, Chen went through a preliminary round held in April and May (171 pianists took part), and then performed three consecutive recitals in October: Stage 1 (84 pianists), Stage 2 (40 pianists), and Stage 3 (20 pianists).
He decided to perform Chopin's Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11, for the final.
WATCH | Kevin Chen's last performance at the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition:
“He is unique in that his technique is so brilliant, he can do whatever he wants, but he is very faithful to the musical intentions of the composer, which in such a competitive environment [is] it’s so important,” Lopinski said.
“To play one of Chopin's last, most profound works and then immediately follow it with a full piano concerto is really something. So he handled it so well,” she said, adding that “we were all very proud of him.”
Canadian pianists have a solid track record in competition.
Canadian pianists have had success at the last two International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competitions: Bruce Liu of Montreal won the gold medal in 2021 (held a year later than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin of Joliette, Quebec, won the silver medal in 2015. Vietnamese Canadian pianist Dang Thai Son won the gold medal. in 1980.
The International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition is held every five years around October 17, the day of Chopin's death. The first prize winner has found himself in the international spotlight thanks to a busy schedule of concerts around the world and high-profile recording projects.
Past honorees include Maurizio Pollini (1960), Martha Argerich (1965), Garrick Olsson (1970), Yundi Lee (2000) and Sung-Jin Cho (2015).
