Chopin Piano Competition Requires Russian Candidates to Play Under Neutral Flag

Russian pianists will also be required to sign a statement condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine

Founded in 1927 and held every five years in Warsaw, Poland, the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition attracts some of the best young pianists in the world. Its most recent edition, in 2021, was won by Bruce Liu.

The competition's organizers recently announced that Russian pianists will only be allowed to compete in the forthcoming 2025 edition if they fulfill two requirements. First, they must compete under a neutral flag, and second, they must denounce Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Russian competitors will need to sign a statement in which they "categorically condemn [Russia's] violation of international law," according to Chopin Institute spokesman Aleksander Laskowski.

"They will perform under a neutral flag, just as athletes did at the Paris Olympics," he added.

Laskowski also told AFP that tickets for the entire competition sold out online within 30 minutes and that it took just two minutes for the finals tickets to be sold. People queued for several hours to secure a small release of tickets that were only available at the box office.

Applications for the competition open on October 9 and close on December 15 — and the organizers are expecting to announce the contestants in March 2025.

Previous winners of the competition include Seong-Jin Cho, Krystian Zimerman, Garrick Ohlsson, Maurizio Pollini, and Martha Argerich.