Yulianna Avdeeva - winner of International Chopin Piano Competition, October 2010
The International Chopin Piano Competition is one of the most prestigious music competitions on the international arena.
Held once every five years since its initiation in 1927, some of its first prize winners include world renown pianists Maurizio Pollini (Italy 1960), Martha Argerich (Argentina 1965), Krystian Zimmerman (Poland 1975), Dang Thai Son (Vietnam 1980), Stanislav Bunin (Russia 1985) and Yundi Li (China, 2000). Notable second prize winners include Vladimir Ashkenazy (Russia 1955) and Ingrid Fliter (Argentina, 2000).
Since Stanislav Bunin won the first prize in 1985, this prize was not award for a period of fifteen years until Yundi Li’s truimph in 2000 as competition judges deemed there was no worthy competitor for the prize.
In October 2010, Yulianna Avdeeva of Russia became the first woman in 45 years to win the first prize since the legendary Martha Argerich won in 1965. Argerich was among the jury that chose Avdeeva, 25, as the winner after lengthy late-night deliberations at the end of a competition marked by the high quality of performances.
