Chopin's 200th anniversary around the world

For the bicentennial of Frederic (Fryderyk) Chopin's birth, many cities are paying tribute to one of the most well known composers of romantic music in the world with hundreds of events organized throughout 2010. Celebrations start in his native Poland January 7, but concerts, exhibits and competitions will also take place this year in France, Austria, England and China among many other countries.

The official opening of the Chopin celebrations in Poland start on Thursday, January 7 with a concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic by Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

The international appeal of the pianist and composer echoes his personal life, as he was born in a small Polish village on March 1, 1810 to a father with French origins; he lived in Warsaw as well as Vienna and Paris.

Chopin the European will be feted in March in Paris with a series of 15 recitals organized by Cité de la musique in the French capital and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, with international pianists performing Chopin's complete works in their original form. Acclaimed performers such as Pierre Goy and Nelson Goerner will take part (http://www.cite-musique.fr)

The Austrian capital is organizing an exhibition dedicated to the time the composer spent in Vienna in 1829 and 1830-31 at the Vienna Haus der Musik from March 30 to April 30. The exhibit includes documents, photographs, posters and letters, and will also present live concerts by students of the Vienna Conservatory and the Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland. (http://www.hausdermusik.com)

London's International Piano Series, an important platform for international solo piano recitals, highlights Chopin's oeuvre this season, with various Chopin concerts, a Chopin Forum, and six pre-concert talks focusing on Chopin's musical innovations, taking place between January 19 and June 8 in London's Southbank's Centre. (http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk)

Talented pianists will be able to register in the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition taking place in Warsaw between October 2 and 23 (http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en). The competition's winner will perform in Beijing in December to close the year's celebrations in a series of concerts that will include live performances by Jean Neuberger, Stanislav Bunin and Garrick Ohlsson at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. (http://www.chncpa.org)

More information can be found on http://chopin2010.pl , the official website available in Polish, English, French to this day and soon in Japanese and Chinese.