Since 1927, the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition has remained one of the most important and prestigious events in the world of classical music. Although the greatest recognition traditionally goes to first prize winners, history has often shown that artists who finish further down the list also embark on distinguished careers – consider figures such as Ivo Pogorelich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Angela Hewitt, Daniil Trifonov, and Lidia Grychtołówna. Time will tell how the fates of Tianyao Lyu and Shiori Kuwahara, who shared fourth prize this year, will unfold.

Representing China, Tianyao Lyu is only seventeen years old (born 21 October 2008), yet she already boasts an impressive artistic achievement. She began her musical journey in Beijing, at the middle school affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music, where Hua Chang directed the young pianist’s education. Lyu is currently perfecting her skills in Poland, in the class of Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. In 2024, she won the International Piano Competition in Ettlingen (Germany) and received First Prize and the Grand Prix at the 31st International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia, Poland. In the finals of the 19th Chopin Competition, she performed the Concerto in E minor, in which – according to commentators – she demonstrated the full potential of her talent: lightness, brilliance, and natural musical temperament.

Shiori Kuwahara, hailing from Japan, was born in 1995. She graduated with the highest distinction from the University of the Arts in Tokyo and the University of the Arts in Berlin, where she studied with Klaus Hellwig. She has won numerous awards, including the Steinway Prize in Berlin, and won second prizes in prestigious piano competitions in Barcelona, Vercelli, Bolzano, and Tel Aviv. Earlier in 2025, she was a prize-winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. She has performed in numerous European and Asian countries, as well as in the United States, performing, for example, at the Chopin Festival in Duszniki-Zdrój and at the Dvořák Concert Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague. During the competition she offered interpretations full of vivacity and panache, greatly impressing the audience. 

Both artists will perform at the NFM during one concert and will present all-Chopin programmes.