{"id":2045291,"date":"2025-10-22T14:57:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/?p=2045291"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:29:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T22:29:36","slug":"the-piano-that-gave-3-finalists-an-edge-at-the-2025-chopin-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/news\/the-piano-that-gave-3-finalists-an-edge-at-the-2025-chopin-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Piano That Gave 3 Finalists an Edge at the 2025 Chopin Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano selected by 3rd prize winner and 5th prize winners<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-1801440436\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1828333824\" class=\"col medium-8 small-12 large-8\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_1151387833\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SK-CHOPIN1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SK-CHOPIN1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SK-CHOPIN1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SK-CHOPIN1-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_1151387833 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1022203359\" class=\"col medium-4 small-12 large-4\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n<p><strong>Chinese pianist Zitong Wang has been awarded the 3rd prize at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition held in Warsaw, Poland from October 2nd~23rd 2025, following a series of performances playing the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano. Piotr Alexewicz (Poland) and Vincent Ong (Malaysia), who also selected the SK-EX for the duration of the competition, have been awarded the 5th prize.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<p>Kawai has provided instruments for official selection in the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition since the 11th edition held in 1985.<br \/>\nThroughout the competition period, Kawai staff, led by Mr. Mariusz Adamczak, Kawai Europa GmbH Poland Branch, provided full support to the contestants.<br \/>\nAnd Kawai\u2019s most esteemed piano technicians, MPA (Master Piano Artisan), Hidemi Okubo, Yoshifumi Sato from Kawai Japan, and Naoto Ichikawa from Kawai Europe also played a pivotal role at this competition. They diligently worked on not only crafting the sound, but also contestant support through active communication.<\/p>\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_513621998\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NIFC20251019_www_Fot.KrzysztofSzlezak_GRW01339-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NIFC20251019_www_Fot.KrzysztofSzlezak_GRW01339-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NIFC20251019_www_Fot.KrzysztofSzlezak_GRW01339-1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NIFC20251019_www_Fot.KrzysztofSzlezak_GRW01339-1-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_513621998 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<h2><strong>Three Finalists, One Strategic Choice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Zitong Wang (China) &#8211; 3rd Prize + Krystian Zimerman Award for Best Performance of a Sonata<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; max-width: 560px; margin: 0 auto;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/omqTpiBXfnA?enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The 26-year-old prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of legendary Chopin Competition winner Dang Thai Son captured not only the bronze medal but also the prestigious award for best sonata performance\u2014worth an additional \u20ac10,000. Her finals performances of the Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat major and the Piano Concerto in E minor demonstrated exactly why she chose the SK-EX: its ability to paint with subtle colors while maintaining structural clarity.<\/p>\n<p>Piotr Alexewicz (Poland) &#8211; 5th Prize<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; max-width: 560px; margin: 0 auto;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/embed\/BOCTW4qyDqY?enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Representing the host nation, Alexewicz understood the weight of Polish expectation. His selection of the Shigeru Kawai spoke to confidence in finding his own voice rather than defaulting to convention.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent Ong (Malaysia) &#8211; 5th Prize<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; max-width: 560px; margin: 0 auto;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/embed\/xsVgT3vtruM?enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Ong&#8217;s journey to the finals on the SK-EX added to the compelling narrative: three finalists, three different countries, one shared conviction about their instrument.<\/p>\n<h2>What These Pianists Discovered: The SK-EX Advantage<\/h2>\n<h3>1. The Chopin-Specific Tonal Architecture<\/h3>\n<p>Chopin&#8217;s music demands something unique: the ability to create what pianists call &#8220;melt&#8221;\u2014where melodic lines, inner voices, and bass foundations don&#8217;t just coexist but blend into watercolor-like sonic paintings. The SK-EX was engineered specifically for this.<\/p>\n<p>The Kigarashi process\u2014a proprietary natural wood-aging technique\u2014creates soundboards from premium aged spruce that respond with warmth rather than brittleness. Where some concert grands prioritize projection and brilliance (essential for Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev), the SK-EX prioritizes tonal complexity and register integration\u2014exactly what Chopin&#8217;s intricate passages require.<\/p>\n<p>One competitor described it as having &#8220;a watercolor palette of sounds&#8221; that allows you to &#8220;intertwine registers seamlessly.&#8221; This isn&#8217;t marketing language\u2014this is competitive intelligence.<\/p>\n<h3>2. The Millennium III Action: Speed Where It Matters<\/h3>\n<p>Chopin&#8217;s music is deceptively demanding. Those delicate passages in the Nocturnes? They require repetition speeds that can make or break a performance. The cascading notes in the Etudes? They demand absolute consistency under pressure.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Millennium III ABS-Carbon Action in the SK-EX provides<\/b>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Lightning-fast repetition capability<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Extended pivot length for greater control<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reduced friction points for reliable technical execution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you&#8217;re in the finals of the world&#8217;s most prestigious piano competition, &#8220;good enough&#8221; doesn&#8217;t exist. The action needs to be invisible\u2014never fighting you, never surprising you, always responding exactly as intended.<\/p>\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_1654169312\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MPA-Mr.-Okubo-and-Mr.-Sato.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MPA-Mr.-Okubo-and-Mr.-Sato.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MPA-Mr.-Okubo-and-Mr.-Sato-450x318.jpg 450w, https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MPA-Mr.-Okubo-and-Mr.-Sato-600x423.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_1654169312 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<h2>The Competitive Context: Piano Selection at the 2025 Competition<\/h2>\n<p>To understand the significance of Shigeru Kawai&#8217;s success, consider the complete landscape:<\/p>\n<p>Final Results and Piano Choices:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Placement<\/td>\n<td>Pianist<\/td>\n<td>Country<\/td>\n<td>Piano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1st Prize<\/td>\n<td>Eric Lu<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2nd Prize<\/td>\n<td>Kevin Chen<\/td>\n<td>Canada<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3rd Prize<\/td>\n<td>Zitong Wang<\/td>\n<td>China<\/td>\n<td>Shigeru Kawai SK-EX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4th Prize<\/td>\n<td>Tianyao Lyu<\/td>\n<td>China<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4th Prize<\/td>\n<td>Shiori Kuwahara<\/td>\n<td>Japan<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5th Prize<\/td>\n<td>Piotr Alexewicz<\/td>\n<td>Poland<\/td>\n<td>Shigeru Kawai SK-EX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5th Prize<\/td>\n<td>Vincent Ong<\/td>\n<td>Malaysia<\/td>\n<td>Shigeru Kawai SK-EX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6th Prize<\/td>\n<td>William Yang<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>\u25a0 About the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Established and inaugurated in 1927, the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is one of the oldest music events of its kind in the world. 2025 will see the beginning of a series of special celebrations for its centenary. In the course of the past century, the formal aspects of the competition have constantly evolved, resulting in changing the number of its stages, programme, judging criteria, prizes, and also the media through which audiences have experienced the competition recitals. There have only been two elements of the Competition that have remained unchanged since its inception: Chopin\u2019s music and the fascination of pianists and audiences alike. Another chapter in the hundred-year-long tradition is opening before us. The competition is organised by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.<\/p>\n<p>Official website: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chopincompetition.pl\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>https:\/\/www.chopincompetition.pl\/en<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u25a0\u00a0About the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unveiled in 2001 as the flagship instrument of the Shigeru Kawai line, the SK-EX concert grand piano is hand-crafted in limited numbers following a unique \u2018prototyping\u2019 creation process. In order to achieve the supreme range of expression required in a concert piano, each instrument utilises a variety of carefully selected materials, with premium aged spruce soundboards. Shigeru Kawai instruments adopt the advanced Millennium III keyboard action, featuring extended wooden keys and advanced ABS Carbon action parts, providing superior speed and responsiveness than conventional wooden action parts, allowing pianists to express a greater range of feeling and emotion in their performance.<\/p>\n<p>Shigeru Kawai official website:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shigerukawai.jp\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">https:\/\/www.shigerukawai.jp\/en\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano selected by 3rd prize winner and 5th prize winners Kawai has provided instruments for official selection in the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition since the 11th edition held in 1985. Throughout the competition period, Kawai staff, led by Mr. Mariusz Adamczak, Kawai Europa [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2045309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[354],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2045291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2045291"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2045306,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045291\/revisions\/2045306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2045309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2045291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2045291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2045291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}