The Roncesvalles Village BIA, Copernicus Lodge and the Canadian Chopin Festival are pleased to present Canada’s Rising Stars, who will perform during the 2007 Polish Festival, September 15 and 16. These young and talented pianists have won several awards worldwide, and we are proud to have them play at our festival.
Location: Copernicus Lodge, 66 Roncesvalles Ave.
September 15
12:00pm THOMAS YU
2:00p.m. STELLA POLONIA Dance Group Performing the Polonaise
2:30pm CISSY ZHOU
4:00pm LI WANG
September 16
12:00pm ERIC TAN
2:30pm ALEXANDER SEREDENKO
(from the Canadian Chopin Festival)
History of the Canadian Chopin Piano Competition
In 1999, the Maximilian Kolbe Foundation organized a very important cultural event for up and coming Canadian pianists. The first Canadian Chopin Piano Competition was held at the John Paul II Cultural Centre located in Mississauga Ontario.
Pianists from across Canada participated in the competition. Our top three finalists, chosen by a prestigious jury, were sent to the International Chopin Competition held in Warsaw, Poland.
The competition was again held in 2004 with an even larger and more successful event. The opening concert was held at the John Paul II Centre with a final Gala Concert being held at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
The 2004 competition was the subject of a very successful television program produced by Bravo Television for their “Arts and Minds” program. The competition was also recorded and continues to be broadcast on CBC Radio.
Our major sponsors have been Yamaha Canada, The Marie-Curie Sklodowska Women’s Group and professional support from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
In 2010, the event will become a Festival that includes a competition. We will have an extensive agenda of teaching, lectures, performances, master-classes and the competition. It will be a significant musical event in Canada that year.
2010 marks the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth. This milestone will see an international celebration of Chopin and his music. The Canadian Chopin Festival 2010 will be one of the premier international events to honour one of history’s greatest composers and pianists.
The purpose of the competition and festival is to promote excellence in piano performance among artists in Canada. The event is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants.
Our finalists continue to earn international recognition at numerous competitions.
For a complete schedule, including biographies of these talented pianists, click here.