A preliminary round for the Chopin International Piano Competition continues this week, with extra auditions scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Out of 215 pianists who have been selected on the basis of their DVD recordings, 170 arrived in Warsaw and performed over the past two weeks. The remaining pianists were not able to arrive on time due to the disruption of air traffic. The organizing committee has therefore decided to prolong the auditions by two extra days.

An international jury, chaired by Polish pianist  Andrzej Jasiński, is to select eighty pianists who will compete for the top prizes of the Chopin Competition in October. The event is held every five years. This year it has a special character, being one of the highlights of the Chopin Year, the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Past winners of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw include Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, Krystian Zimerman and Rafal Blechacz. (mk)