About the competition

The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Young People in Szafarnia has seen many years of musical competition and over 1500 participants from fifty-two countries. With more than 30 years of uninterrupted tradition, the Competition has been the most important cultural event organized by the Chopin Center in Szafarnia since 1992, when the first national edition was held, while subsequent editions have already had an international character. The main premise of the Competition is the early discovery of young talent, as well as the promotion of the works of Fryderyk Chopin and Polish culture among children and young people in Poland and abroad. Szafarnia, as the place of residence and musical inspiration of the teenage Fryderyk Chopin, is the key for the participants to understand his music. For three days, Szafarnia resounds with the works of great composers interpreted with youthful enthusiasm by participants competing in three age categories: up to 10, up to 13 and up to 16. The competition is growing in popularity every year. Talented young pianists from such far-flung countries as Japan, China, the United States, North Korea, Argentina, Israel and Australia come to the auditions. There is also no shortage of pianists from Europe. The competition also encourages with attractive prizes, which are, in addition to financial awards, recitals on European music stages. Many winners of the Saffron confrontations win laurels in prestigious competitions and are applauded in the most important concert halls around the world. Among the winners of the Competition are: Paweł Wakarecy, Jacek Kortus, Natalia Sawościanik, Kamil Pacholec, Eva Gevorgyan, Piotr Pawlak, Łukasz Krupiński, Adam Goździewski, Piotr Nowak, Zuzanna Pietrzak, Julia Łozowska, Aleksandra Hortensja Dąbek, Adam Kalduński, Mateusz Tomica (finalists and participants in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw), Justyna Danczowska, Daniel Wnukowski, Josif Siergiej (laureate of the Artur Rubinstein Competition). There is power and magic in Szafarnia,” is how Maria Murawska, a professor at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, explains the phenomenon of the Competition. Every year the Competition attracts outstanding musical personalities to Szafarnia. Among the jurors were: Kevin Kenner, Piotr Paleczny, Ewa Pobłocka, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, Alberto Nosè, Andrzej Jasiński. In all the years of its existence, the Competition has become more than just a musical competition. The true meaning of the struggle is hidden in a unique place – the manor house in Szafarnia, where, according to the participants, one can discover the spirit of the young Frederic Chopin.