Young Chopin

The Frédéric Chopin Institute in Switzerland, of which I am the president, launched in 2018 an international piano competition for young performers, pianists aged 7 to 18.

The Jeune Chopin Competition is held under the patronage of the Frédéric Chopin National Institute in Poland, which organizes, among other events, the prestigious Warsaw Competition, held every five years. Martha Argerich, herself a laureate of the Warsaw Chopin Competition in 1965, supports the competition as its patron and chairs the jury. She inaugurates each edition of Jeune Chopin with an opening concert alongside other jury members. During the last edition, Micha Maisky, internationally renowned cellist and long-time collaborator of Martha Argerich, also honored us with his participation.

The first and second editions were held in Martigny, followed by two editions in Lugano. The fifth edition will take place in April 2027 in Lausanne, as the competition is held every two years.

Named Jeune Chopin, this competition is unique in Europe. The choice of Switzerland is not accidental: it was here that the first complete edition of Chopin’s works was produced by Paderewski, Bronarski, and Turczyński. While Switzerland already hosts several prestigious international competitions, such as the Geneva Competition or the Clara Haskil Competition, none is dedicated to a single composer or specifically targets very young pianists. It is worth recalling that Chopin’s favorite pupil was a twelve-year-old Hungarian boy, Carl Filtsch, who died prematurely.

After a preliminary selection of candidates from around the world on a required program according to their level, participants submit ten-minute recordings. Two jury members listen to these recordings separately and select ten candidates per age category.

The young participants demonstrate exceptional pianistic and artistic levels. Some are already winners of national competitions or known to the general public. Each young performer brings something unique to the interpretation of Chopin, as the freshness and enthusiasm of these young musicians breathe new life into this music.

Chopin’s music is a reference point for all pianists, at every stage of their learning and career. By dedicating a competition to young musicians—who represent the future—we aim to promote an original approach to this repertoire, long championed by the greatest virtuosos, and to create a stepping stone toward the major competition in Poland. We also hope to awaken the interest of a young audience, often distant from Chopin, who can be inspired by seeing children and teenagers on stage.

Chopin, like the great writers and painters of his time—he was notably friends with Delacroix—is a major figure of our cultural heritage. He was one of the first composers to express his national roots while achieving universal reach, at a time when nations were beginning to assert themselves against empires. The expressive power of his music reflects this desire for freedom. Schumann wrote in 1836: “If the mighty autocrat of the North knew what a dangerous enemy threatened him in Chopin’s works, he would ban his music. His works are buried cannons under flowers.” Today, Chopin remains universal, performed by musicians from all cultures. His music is continually reinterpreted through diverse sensibilities.

Among the laureates who have made a mark on the international scene are Eva Gevorgyan, finalist of the Warsaw Chopin Competition; Arielle Beck, recently a winner at France’s Victoires de la Musique; Ryan Wang, winner of BBS New Artists. The 2025 competition also revealed new talents such as Katherine Hibbs, invited this summer to Verbier; Antonio Pavan, who at only 13 joined the Wingold & Boom agency in Germany; Ivan Chepkin, who will perform on May 12 in Sion; and Martina Meola, present tonight and already invited to Lucerne by Martha Argerich. First-prize winners also participate in masterclasses with leading pedagogues specializing in Chopin’s repertoire, perform at Żelazowa Wola, the composer’s birthplace, and then play alongside the jury during the Lausanne Festival.

Since 2018, we have also collaborated with the Japanese piano brand Shigeru Kawai, which provides two grand pianos for the competition and concert and supports the candidates’ preparation masterclasses, held this year in Krefeld with Prof. Akiko Ebi, Prof. Grzegorz Niemczuk, and myself. At the last opening concert, we had the joy of playing a 1847 Pleyel piano, Chopin’s favorite instrument. This concert was recorded and broadcast by Swiss Italian radio. Furthermore, all videos of the concerts and our laureates are available on the Chopin Institute’s YouTube channel.

We also conduct cultural outreach initiatives in music schools and conservatories to raise awareness among young audiences, unfortunately declining in number.

Jeune Chopin is an ambitious project for cultural and educational development, fostering social cohesion, personal growth, and the international visibility of Swiss culture. It fully aligns with the charter of the Chopin Institute in Switzerland: to promote music education, support children’s artistic creation, disseminate Chopin’s works, and encourage instrumental practice, whether amateur or professional.

Each competition requires considerable preparation, particularly financially, and unfortunately, the Institute must constantly fight to find sponsors. You can imagine that neither Martha Argerich nor I derive any financial benefit from our involvement: we support young pianists wholeheartedly and with all our soul.

Without this competition, we would never have had the chance to discover talents like Martina Meola or Arielle Beck. Unfortunately, some sponsors fail to recognize this. In today’s classical music world, concert agencies often prefer to invest in already established artists, ready to be “marketed.” But someone must make their debut, and this is precisely where this competition plays an essential role.