2019-2020 Season

We hope that you all had a wonderful summer. With September upon us, we see the resumption of regular musical activities in our city. Our season begins on November 10th with the spectacularly talented Zlata Chochieva, whose recording of Chopin Etudes was chosen as one of Gramophone magazine’s “50 Greatest Chopin Recordings”. The season continues with the return of Kevin Kenner and Dina Yoffe, both brilliant and individual artists in their own right. We again collaborate with Early Music Vancouver to present the Vancouver debut of Tomasz Ritter, winner of the 1st International Chopin Competition on Period Instrument. Don’t miss the hearing this young artist who created such a stir in Warsaw last year. Also making his debut in Vancouver will be Federico Colli, whose performances and recordings have already been compared with those of Horowitz, Lipatti, Michelangeli and Pollini.

Remember that subscribers or ticket holders for the Kevin Kenner recital on November 24th will have a chance to win a trip to Warsaw to attend the Finals of the 18th International Chopin Competition in October of 2020. The prize package includes one round trip flight from Vancouver, two tickets for the Finals as well as three days of accommodation.

For more details of our 2019-2020 season, to renew your subscription, or to take out a new subscription, please visit our website. or call the Chan Centre Box Office at 604-822-2697.

Zlata Chochieva changed her recital programme

Pianist Zlata Chochieva has announced a change to her recital programme. Instead of the Schubert sonata in the first half, she has chosen to perform for us Chopin's Etudes, Op. 25. This is exciting news for us, since her recording of the Chopin Etudes has been so highly regarded universally.
In the second half, she will play Rachmaninoff transcriptions of works by Bach, Bizet and Mendelssohn, as well as Rachmaninoff's magnificent Variations on a Theme by Corelli. Don't miss the Vancouver debut of this remarkable artist!

The 18th International Chopin Competition

The next edition of this most prestigious piano competition will be held in Warsaw between October 2nd and October 23rd, 2020. Ticket sales will commence Tuesday, October 1st, 2019, and tickets will be available at the ticket office of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum and on the website.
For details of the competition, please visit competition site.

Winners of the 2015 International Chopin Competition – How are they doing?

Even with today’s proliferation of piano competitions, the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw has held its place as one of the most prestigious. Past winners include some of today’s legendary names in music.

The winners of the 2015 edition of the competition have all, in their own way, developed major careers. Gold medalist Seong Jin Cho has had a meteoric rise in the music world since the competition, playing around the world to sold out houses. In Asia, and especially in his native South Korea, he has achieved almost rock star status. He has branched out from playing Chopin, and has since recorded best selling albums of the music of Debussy and Mozart. Canada’s own Charles Richard-Hamelin, a very close runner up to Cho, also enjoys a highly active career, playing in his native country as well as internationally. His recent recording of Chopin’s Piano Concerti was given a rave review by Gramophone magazine. Kate Liu, third prize winner and winner of the Polish Radio Prize for best playing of a mazurka, had a hiatus to her career because of a hand injury. We are happy to report that she has now resumed concertizing, and made a return visit to Poland this past summer, where she again won the hearts of the Polish audience with her original artistry.

Eric Lu, who won 4th prize at the competition, went on to win the gold medal at the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition, and is now enjoying a spectacular career. Canadian Tony (Yike) Yang, who won 5th prize, performs as recitalist as well as concerto soloist, and is currently pursuing a joint Economics and Piano Performance degree at Harvard University/New England Conservatory of Music. Sixth-prize winner Dimitry Shishkin went on to win 1st prize at the Geneva International Competition and 2nd prize at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019. Szymon Nehring, one of the finalist, went on to win 1st prize at the Artur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in 2017. Georgijs Osokins, who received honourable mention at the competition, also enjoys an active performing and recording career, and frequently performs with Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica Octet.

The Vancouver Chopin Society is proud to have presented Seong Jin Cho, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Kate Liu, Eric Lu and Georgijs Osokins, all in their Vancouver debuts. You will be happy to hear that Eric Lu will perform for us again in the 2020-2021 season. We are already looking forward to presenting for you winners from the 2020 competition. Stay tuned!