LAUREATES of the 12th International Paderewski Piano Competition 2022

The participants took part in four-stage auditions in Bydgoszcz at the F. Nowowiejski Academy of Music and at the Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic. At each stage, the participants were obliged to perform the program prescribed in the Rules and Regulations of the 12th Competition. The contest included 4 stages: in the first stage the choice of repertoire was free, in the second stage the participants had to play Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s compositions, in the recital part of the semifinals the pianists had to play a composition by Professor Hanna Kulenty, the representative of the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. In the semifinal auditions the pianists were accompanied by Capella Bydgostiensis under the baton of Paweł Kapuła and performed Mozart concertos. In the final stage the participants played a piano concerto of their choice performed with the Paderewski Pomeranian Symphony Orchestra, directed by Jakub Chrenowicz. The auditions for the competition were open to the public. The participants had at their disposal Yamaha, Steinway, Kawai and Fazioli pianos.

The Jury of the 12th International Paderewski Piano Competition awarded the following prizes: First Prize was awarded to Mateusz Krzyżowski (Poland), Second Prize went to Pedro López Salas (Spain), Third Prize was given to Danylo Saienko (Ukraine), and honorable mentions were given to Okui Shio (Japan) and Piotr Pawlak (Poland). The competition concluded with Winners’ Concerts at the Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.

The Jury of the 12th International Paderewski Piano Competition awarded the following special prizes:

€ 2 000  – prize for the best performance of Paderewski’s Sonata in E flat minor op. 21 or Variations and Fugue in E flat minor op. 23 or in the Final of the Competition Concerto in A minor op. 17 or Polish Fantasy op. 19 – Georgi Vasilev (Bulgaria).

€ 1 000 – prize for the best performance of W. A. Mozart piano concerto – Mateusz Krzyżowski (Poland).

€ 1 000 – prize for the best semi-final recital – Pedro López Salas (Spain).

€ 1 000  – prize for the best Polish participant classified to the semi-final or final – Mateusz Krzyżowski (Poland).

€ 1 000 – prize for the best performance of the classical sonata, awarded by Mr. Rafał Bruski, the Mayor of Bydgoszcz – Cecino Elia (Italy).

€ 1 000 – prize for the best performance of Fryderyk Chopin’s composition – Wu JunLin (China).

Special Paderewski Prize – awarded by the Paderewski Foundation in Morges and the Geneva International Music Competition.

3 000 CHF – for a pianist playing in a particularly expressive way in a romantic tradition and a concert in Switzerland – Cecino Elia (Italy).

20 000 PLN – the prize for the best Polish participant awarded by the Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski Institute for the Legacy of Polish National Thought – Mateusz Krzyżowski (Poland).