Chopin Competition 2025: Programme Building
On Monday, October 13, 2025, the competition had a free day. Regarding the jury's Stage 3 picks, some outcomes were expected, while others were surprising.
Seasoned candidates like Kevin Chen and Eric Lu seemed likely to advance to Stage 3 from the start. However, the jury's decisions on Piotr Alexewicz and Piotr Pawlak were less predictable, despite erratic Stage 2 performances.
On the other hand, David Khrikuli, William Yang, and Vincent Ong performed better in Stage 2 than in Stage 1, which likely contributed to their advancement. The elimination of Yanyan Bao and Gabriele Strata was regrettable, similar to Magdalene Ho's first-round elimination from the 2025 Van Cliburn Competition.
I regret the elimination of two real artists, Yanyan Bao and Gabriele Strata.
Author's summary: Chopin Competition 2025 jury makes surprising Stage 3 picks.