Canadian Bruce Liu wins prestigious international piano competition
Share
WARSAW, Poland -
Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu of Canada was named early Thursday as the winner of the 40,000-euro ($45,000) first prize in the 18th Frederic Chopin international piano competition, a prestigious event that launches pianists' world careers.
The announcement from the jury came just hours after Liu played as the last entrant among the 12 finalists, performing Chopin's concerto in E minor, opus 11 with the orchestra at the packed National Philharmonic in Warsaw. His inspired performance was met with huge applause.
"Oh my god. I don't know what to say, honestly," Liu said after being name winner.
"We have been dreaming with all these people here for this prestigious stage," the 24-year-old born in Paris said in English.
"Being able to play Chopin in Warsaw is one of the best things you can imagine, of course, so I'm truly honored for this award, of course, and for this jury's trust and for all the warmth I have received in recent days," Liu said.
The second prize and 30,000 euros ($35,000) went jointly to Alexander Gadjiev, representing Italy and Slovenia, and Kyohei Sorita of Japan. Gadjiev also won Krystian Zimerman's prize of 10,000 euros ($11,800) for the best sonata performance.
The third prize of 20,000 euros ($23,000) was awarded to Martin Garcia Garcia of Spain, who also won the 5,000 euros ($5,800) prize for best concerto performance.
The fourth prize and 15,000 euros ($17,000) was shared by Aimi Kobayashi of Japan and Poland's Jakub Kuszlik, who also won best mazurka performance prize and 5,000 euros. Italy's Leonora Armellini was awarded the fifth prize of 10,000 euros ($11,600), while the sixth prize and 7,000 euros ($8,000) went to Canada's J.J. Jun Li Bui.
The first prize was funded by the office of Poland's president, and other prizes were funded by the government, state culture institutions and by private individuals.
High ranking in the renowned competition opens the world's top concert halls to the pianists and paves the way to recordings with best known record companies.
Jury head Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron said after the announcement that the level of the pianists was very high and made the award decisions very hard for the 17 jurors. She called the participants "wonderful young people."
During the competition, she had said that apart from being excellent pianists, the participants should also show sensitivity and bring freshness to the music.
"I try to look for a rapport between the performer and Chopin," Popowa-Zydron said in an interview. Music is a "message from a person, and (the musicians) should know what kind of person Chopin was."
Bowing to their artistry, the jury allowed two more finalists this year than usual. The competition, held every five years, was postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic.
Among previous winners are Maurizio Pollini of Italy, Argentina's Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson from the United States, Poland's Krystian Zimerman and Rafal Blechacz, and Seong-Jin Cho of South Korea.
Chopin, Poland's best known and beloved classical music composer and pianist, was born in 1810 in Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw to a Polish mother and a French father. He left Poland at 19 to broaden his musical education in Vienna and then in Paris, where he settled, composing, giving concerts and teaching the piano. He died on Oct. 17, 1849, in Paris and is buried at the Pere Lachaise cemetery. His heart is at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting "free Palestine" amid a mix of boos and cheers.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Aid workers are struggling to distribute dwindling food and other supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by what Israel says is a limited operation in Rafah, as the two main crossings near the southern Gaza city remain closed.
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Russian troops were locked in intense battles with Ukrainian soldiers around the embattled town of Vovchansk in northeast Ukraine on Monday, pushing ahead with a ground offensive that opened a new front and put more pressure on overstretched Ukrainian forces.
Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 37 people and more than a dozen others were missing, officials said Sunday.
As his criminal trial got underway, 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King pleaded not guilty to a list of nine charges related to the major protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa.
Canada’s foreign affairs minister is embarking on a five-day trip to the Middle East and the Mediterranean where she will focus on peacekeeping and aid.
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Multiple health organizations are asking Ontario to develop a comprehensive strategy to prepare for the province's upcoming loosening of alcohol rules.
Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032, the government projects — figures it tried to keep secret but were obtained by The Canadian Press.
The fictitious Crawley family and their servants running a sprawling English country estate in the early 20th century are returning for a third 'Downton Abbey' movie, which will feature old and new faces.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
When it comes to gardening, a lot of questions come up, including the best way to keep pets away from plants, maintaining your lawn and keeping the dandelions at bay.
When I was knee-deep in the early years of parenting, dishes piled up, laundry was rarely folded, and Whole Foods did a fair amount of the cooking for me.
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Alek Manoah allowed three runs — all unearned — over seven innings to lower his earned-run average from 13.50 to 4.91 in his best outing of the year. He allowed four hits and a walk, striking out six.
The Biden administration plans to impose major new tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and medical supplies imported from China, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the plan.
Tesla will spend more than US$500 million to expand its fast-charging network, CEO Elon Musk said on Friday, days after abruptly laying off employees who were running the business.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
A 27-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman at a residence in the city’s Oakwood Village neighbourhood over the weekend, Toronto police say.
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Ottawa was negligent in its enforcement of the city's taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to begin operating in 2014, harming the city's established taxi industry.
Lawyers for Montreal's McGill University are in court this morning seeking an injunction to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment that has been on its downtown campus since last month.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
A man was injured when he was attacked while walking his dog earlier this month. The 55-year-old man was reportedly attacked by a man and woman with what appeared to be a knife and a machete.
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Everything is shelved in orderly fashion at SaskPower’s new Regina logistics warehouse. The first phase of the long delayed project at the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) is now complete.
Speaking at a daycare centre in St. Thomas, Justin Trudeau highlighted items in the 2024 budget he said will build more child care spaces and infrastructure, support early childhood educators across the country, and help more families access affordable child care.
A 29-year-old Timmins man is charged with impaired driving in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 144 near Greater Sudbury that sent two children to hospital by air ambulance Saturday.
Around 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, multiple people called 911 to report a vehicle speeding on Baseline Road west before colliding with a second vehicle at the interstation of Baseline and Wellington Road.
Residents in an area of Plympton-Wyoming in Lambton County are being asked to shelter in place. A notice from the town posted to social media said Enbridge Gas is in the area assessing a leak.
Wiarton Willie’s home has been vandalized. The Town of South Bruce Peninsula said that someone sprayed “spray foam insulation” into Wiarton Willie’s enclosure in the town.
Chatham-Kent Police Service is recommending 35 additional closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in several downtown areas at Chatham-Kent council Monday evening.
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
One expert says we might see a little bit of a dip, even still, he’s expecting another big cruise ship season on the Great Lakes, particularly when it comes to ports in northeastern Ontario.
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.