Rafal Blechacz

In October 2005, in an electrifying outing this 20 year old Polish virtuoso swept the field at at the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, winning: The Gold Medal (unanimously awarded; the Silver Medal was not granted) Best Performance of the Mazurkas Best Performance of the Polonaises Best Performance of a Concerto Best Performance of a Sonata The first Pole in 20 years to win this prestigious competition (since Krystian Zimerman), Blechacz began his piano studies at the age of five and is currently completing his studies at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz with professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron. The young artist has already won many awards and prizes at the international piano competitions worldwide. Among them were the Second Prize at the Artur Rubinstein Young Pianist Competition in Bydgoszcz (2002), the top prize(shared with Alexander Kobrin) at the 5th International Young Pianist Competition in Hamamatsu, Japan (2003), and the First Prize at the 4th International Piano Competition in Morocco (2004). The Gold Medal at the Chopin Competition has opened the door for him to the most prestigous concert halls all over the world. The pianist has been invited to perform at the Warsaw Philharmony Hall (March 2006), the Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev (May 2006), Tonhalle in Zurich (September 2006), 12 recitals in major concert halls in Japan including Tokyo Opera City (November 2006), Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (December 2006), Herkules Saal in Munich (March 2007), Wigmore Hall in London (April 2007), Auditorio Nacional in Madrid (May 2007), re-invitation performances in Japan, including Suntory Hall in Tokyo (May-June 2007), Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels (September 2007). The latest artist's performances at the Summer festivals: Ruhr, Verbier and La Roque d'Antheron (July-August 2006) were enthusiastically received by the critics. Rafal Blechacz’s calendar is now fully booked 2 years in advance and includes more than 120 performances at the major cultural centers of Europe and the Far East. In 2006 Mr. Blechacz signed an exclusive 5 year contract with Deutsche Grammophon for three recording productions. The first CD will be released in 2007. Mozart Piano Sonata No 9 in D major, KV 311 Debussy Estampes Szymanowski Variations in B flat minor, Op. 3 Chopin 24 Preludes Op. 28 Concert sponsored by James and Arlene Sullivan