Chinese-American pianist Eric Lu won the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition, overcoming previous challenges. He had placed fourth in the same competition in 2015, but this time he not only claimed the honor but also received a substantial prize. Eric Lu was awarded a 60,000 euro (approximately 99.64 million won) prize and a gold medal in the name of the Polish president.
Other finalists also received prizes. Second-place Kevin Chen was awarded 40,000 euros (approximately 66.43 million won) along with a silver medal, while third-place Wang Yutong received 35,000 euros (approximately 58.12 million won) and a bronze medal. Fourth-place finishers Kuwahara Shiori and Lü Tianyao each received 30,000 euros (approximately 49.82 million won). Fifth-place winners Piotr Alexewicz and Vincent Ong each received 25,000 euros (approximately 41.53 million won), and sixth-place William Yang received 20,000 euros (approximately 33.22 million won). No additional monetary prizes were awarded to other finalists who did not receive a rank.
Special awards also included monetary prizes. Each winner of the Best Concert Performance, Best Mazurka Performance, Best Polonaise Performance, and Best Ballade Performance received 7,000 euros (approximately 11.63 million won). Wang Yutong, who also won the Best Sonata Performance, received an additional 3,000 euros, bringing the total to 10,000 euros (approximately 16.62 million won). This category’s prize was sponsored by German pianist Christian Zimmermann, the 1970 Chopin Competition winner. It’s common for competition winners to also secure special awards.
However, the first and second-place winners in this competition did not receive special awards. This suggests there were many standout performers across different music styles rather than a single dominant participant. For example, the Best Mazurka Performance award went to Yehuda Prokopowicz of Poland, who concluded his performance in the 3rd round. Adam Kałdunski, another Polish contestant who didn’t advance past the 2nd round but excelled in ballades, earned a special award in that category.
Unconventional awards were also present. Winner Eric Lu received the Mastmedia Award, a new award established in collaboration between Korean concert planning company Mastmedia and the competition’s organizer, the Chopin Institute. This award carries a prize of 10,000 euros. Mastmedia plans to hold a winner’s gala concert in South Korea in February, featuring Eric Lu and other top awardees. A separate award of 10,000 euros was allocated for the highest-ranked Polish competitor. The Barbara Hesse-Bukowska Award, named in honor of the late Polish pianist who passed away in 2013, granted 5,000 euros to the top female pianist who didn’t reach the finals.
The competition winners from 1st to 3rd place will host separate winners’ concerts. The events are scheduled on the 21st (1st place), 22nd (2nd place), and 23rd (3rd place) to conclude this competition. In Korea, audiences will soon be able to witness Eric Lu’s performance. In November, he is scheduled to hold recitals in Ulsan HD Art Center on the 22nd, Tongyeong International Music Hall on the 23rd, and the Seoul Arts Center on the 26th. Additionally, on the 21st, he will perform with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.