Thoughts Inspired by the 2025 Chopin Competition
On my way to Vienna, I had to stop in Warsaw, Poland for my connecting flight. It marked the first time I flew into the Chopin Airport, and it happened to be just in time for the 19th International Chopin Competition. The United States is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to participation in the Chopin Competition. The Chinese are the winners hands down in terms of sending participants. Is it because other governments provide support for their aspiring concert artists? Or are we as a nation too emotionally stunted to handle the depth and breadth of passion in Chopin's music. Years ago at Chopin's grave in Paris I saw countless bouquets of flowers with notes in all languages, the majority being in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. The notes in English were from Great Britain. The music of Chopin has saved many people's lives. But we in the United States don't honor him as a hero. Why? Though he was born in Poland, he spent the majority of his adult life in...