Thoughts Inspired by the 2025 Chopin Competition

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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 Paris where he was escaping the Polish-Russian War of 1830.

Poland was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. The original home of the Chopin Competition was destroyed during the war, so a national concert hall was built that hosts today's competition. It is so refreshing to see so many languages in the live chat during the competitors' performances on YouTube. It serves as a reminder of the importance of the music of Chopin in the rest of the world. Even the Canadians are avid participants. But we here in the United States don't seem to care. Have we become too stoic to allow our emotions to be released in such grand fashion?

Many consider the Chopin Competition to be the Olympics for the piano because it takes place once in five years. Unlike other piano competitions, only the music of Chopin is allowed. For the three rounds of competition, that means each participant must prepare roughly three hours of music. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear the vast amount and variety of Chopin's music, including the Etudes, Ballades, Preludes, Mazurkas, Waltzes, Scherzi, Polonaises, Sonatas, Concerti, etc.

The music of Chopin has been a part of my life since the beginning. I heard my mother practice the Barcarolle and Fantasy; my father performed the 2nd Ballade, F-sharp Major Impromptu, and "Butterfly" Etude. As a college student I learned and performed the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Ballades, the B minor Scherzo, countless Etudes, Preludes, and Mazurkas, the 3rd Sonata, 3rd Concerto, and even the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillant. But no one suggested that I apply to participate in the Chopin Competition. I hardly even heard about it while I was in New York. We did hear about the scandal provoked by Ivo Pogorelich when he wore red leather pants. But aside from that, nothing. (I was present for his debut at Carnegie Hall which was unremarkable, but he went on to have a huge career in Europe.)

Granted, some of the people of my parents' generation and community may have felt that - as a Black woman - I wouldn't have been treated fairly in a competition. Even at this year's competition you could count the number of women who made it to the Second Round on one hand. Asians far outnumbered the Europeans, and there still wasn't one contestant of African descent.

Sometimes African Americans forget that it is white Americans from the US who are usually the most racist. Europeans don't have the history of slavery that we have in the US. Perhaps I would have been treated more fairly in Poland than I would have in the US. Unfortunately, I'll never know.

Today, being able to livestream the competition makes it a thrilling experience. It was being broadcast live in Poland and was accessible on most European channels. In the US, however, most didn't even know that it was happening.

Yes, we have a painful history. But listening to this music might help us to unleash some of those latent emotions - that is, if we could quiet our brains and turn off our phones long enough to totally immerse ourselves. Chopin lovers know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, most people from the United States don't.

When I watch these young people from other parts of the world perform, it pains me to think that my own country failed me. If we had a government that encourages artists, things might be different. I do have a much deeper appreciation for Chopin's music now that I'm a mature artist. I do hope that my country will catch up with the rest of the world and learn to love and enjoy the music written by this great master of the piano. Don't be afraid of a few tears. That's the whole point! When you are moved to that level, your life becomes all-the-more enriched. Some men (especially) need to learn to allow the tears to come. It doesn't mean that you're weak. To the contrary, it shows that you are an emotionally functional human being. Based on the facial expressions of some of the contestants, it looked like they were in a state of sublime ecstasy. But this is a competition, so they couldn't let themselves get too carried away. One can only imagine how they would look in an actual concert where they weren't being judged.

Since I began writing the notes for this blog, the winners have been announced, and China did itself proud. Let's hope the United States will step up and insure that this music is passed down to future generations.



Nina Kennedy is a concert pianist, orchestral conductor, and award-winning filmmaker. She holds a master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Her memoir, "Practicing for Love," is a 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist.

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