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Canadian wins Chopin competition

Leszek Szymański/PAP

Canadian Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu is the winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, the National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin, which organises the contest, announced in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

Liu, 24, said after the announcement that he was honoured by the award.

“Being able to play Chopin in Warsaw is one of the best things you can imagine, of course, so I’m truly honoured for this award, of course, and for this jury’s trust and for all the warmth I have received in recent days,” he said.

Liu was born in Paris on May 8 1997 and graduated from the Music Conservatory in Montreal. He has worked with symphony orchestras in Cleveland, Montreal, Israel, Ukraine and Lithuania as well as the China NCPO orchestra.

Second place was awarded ex aequo to Alexander Gadjiev, representing Italy and Slovenia, and Kyohei Sorita of Japan. Third was Martin Garcia Garcia of Spain.

Fryderyk Chopin, Poland’s best known classical music composer and pianist, was born in 1810 in Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw to a Polish mother and a French father. He left Poland at 19 to broaden his musical education in Vienna and eventually settled in Paris, where he worked as a composer, concert pianist and music teacher. Chopin died on Oct. 17, 1849 in Paris and is buried at the Pere Lachaise cemetery. His heart lies at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. 

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