COVID-19-delayed Chopin piano competition opens in Poland

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A gala concert has opened the 18th edition of the prestigious Frederic Chopin international piano competition that was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Oct.2-23 competition was scheduled for the fall of 2020, but authorities put the popular event off due to social distancing rules. The concerts by the 87 participants from around the world begin Sunday with the performance of Xuanyi Mao from China. The winner gets a gold medal and a prize of 40,000 euros ($45,000) and prestigious recording and concert contracts. Among past winners are Argentina’s Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson from the United States and Poland’s Krystian Zimerman.