Chopin 2025: Yehuda Prokopowicz - I love mountains and Chopin's mazurkas
Yehuda Prokopowicz is one of the three Poles who advanced to the third stage of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, set to perform a programme of sonatas and mazurkas, his favourite pieces by the composer.
The 19-year-old pianist was born in the Israeli city of Netanya, where he spent the first four years of his life.
His older sister was his first music teacher, and he began his formal music education when his family moved to Poland.
In 2024, Prokopowicz graduated with distinction from the Wladyslaw Zelenski State Secondary School of Music in Krakow. Currently, he is a student at the city's Academy of Music.
That same year, he received a ministerial stipend for outstanding young artists. Prokopowicz has already won over 30 national and international piano competitions. His accolades include the Grand Prix at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Competition in Piotrkow Trybunalski, as well as third and special prizes at the 28th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Szafarnia. In both 2022 and 2024, he performed during the Rubinstein Piano Festival in Lodz.
Qualifying for the first round of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, as one of the 13 players representing Poland, marked a turning point in his music career.
After the second round, Prokopowicz explained that the long moments of silence which precede his performances are a way for him to gather his thoughts and take in the surroundings. "It's my little secret, but it also helps me focus."
When speaking about his non-musical interests with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, Prokopowicz shared that his favorite pastime outside music was taking long walks in nature, particularly in forests and mountains.
The 19th edition of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, which runs from October 2 to October 23, is organised by Poland's Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
The third stage auditions will end on Thursday, with names of the ten finalists to be announced on Thursday evening.
The Polish Press Agency is a media partner of the competition. (PAP)
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