The 13th Ignacy Jan Paderewski International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz will be held from November 9-23, 2025. The competition is organized by the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Music Society in Bydgoszcz, in cooperation with the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music and the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic. The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities aged 18-32. The deadline for submitting applications is April 22.
The purpose of the Competition is to honor the memory of the outstanding pianist, composer, politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski and to promote young pianists and Polish culture worldwide.
The Jury of the 13th Competition will be composed of Prof. Piotr Paleczny, Artistic Director, Akemi Alink, Philippe Giusiano, Jan Jiracek von Arnim, Olga Kern, Alexander Kobrin, Ronan O'Hora, Ewa Pobłocka and Paweł Wakarecy, who will be chair.
Preliminary auditions for the 13th Paderewski Competition will be held in May-June 2025 in the following cities:
- Warsaw - KAWAI Poland Showroom (May 21-23),
- Sacile - Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile (May 27-29),
- Seoul - Spielenhaus and Spielen Art Hall (June 3-4),
- Tokyo - Yamaha Artist Service Tokyo (June 6-7),
- Shanghai - Yamaha Music & Electronics (China) Co., Ltd. (June 9-10),
- New York - Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. (June 17-18),
- Vienna - Yamaha Music Central Europe GmbH Branch (June 24-26).
Participants qualified for the Competition will take part in four-stage auditions held in Bydgoszcz at the Nowowiejski Academy of Music and the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic. At each stage, pianists will have to perform a program in accordance with the Competition regulations, including works by Paderewski, Chopin and Szymanowski.
The 13th Competition consists of 4 stages:
- in I (November 10- 13) - free repertoire,
- in the II (November 14-16, 2025) - it is mandatory to perform the works of Ignacy Jan Paderewski;
- in the semi-final (November 18-19) in the recital part, pianists will be required to play an obligatory piece. In the semi-final auditions, pianists will be accompanied by Capella Bydgostiensis under the direction of Pawel Kapula;
- in the finals (November 21-22), a piano concerto chosen by the participant, played with the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jakub Chrenowicz, is obligatory.
The competition auditions will be open to the public. Yamaha, Steinway&Sons, Kawai and Fazioli pianos will be available to the participants.
All stages of the 13th I. J. Paderewski International Piano Competition will be broadcast on www.konkurspaderewskiego.pl and the Paderewski International Piano Competition YouTube channel.
Prizes worth a total of 62500 Euros, in the form of concerts and recitals at prestigious musical institutions, will be awarded at the closing ceremony of the Competition on November 23, 2025 in the hall of the I. J. Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic Hall. Recitals for the winners will be organized by the Paderewski Societies established in Los Angeles and Tokyo.
The competition is subsidized by funds from: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture as part of the "Music" program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance; and the City of Bydgoszcz. The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship is a partner of the Competition.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Website of the Competition: https://www.konkurspaderewskiego.pl/
