International Piano Festival
"Musical World without Borders"
August 8-16, 2026
Busko-Zdrój, Poland
Under the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of the Town and Municipality of Busko-Zdrój
Calendar
August 9, 2026 , 7 pm
Auditiorium of Buskie Samorządowe Centrum Kultury
Inaugural Concert
Krystian Tkaczewski (Poland/USA) – Artistic Director, founder and director of the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford (USA), Guest Artist at the Xiamen Institute of Technology (China), International Artistic Consultant for the Shenzhen Piano Museum (China), Ambassador of Tarnów
Hironao Suzuki (Japan) – Prize-winner of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano
Tetiana Shafran (Ukraine) – Prize-winner of the Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition in Busko-Zdrój and the Olga Kern International Piano Competition
Ayla Moreno (Japan/USA) – Prize-winner of the Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition in Busko-Zdrój and the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford (USA)
Agnus Cai (USA) – Prize-winner of the Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition in Busko-Zdrój and the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford (USA)
Nathan Zhang (USA) – Prize-winner of the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford (USA)
Tarnów Chamber Orchestra; Conductor: Vovka Ashkenazy (Iceland)
(Program featuring piano concertos by F. Chopin, R. Schumann, and F. Mendelssohn)
August 13, 2026, 3 pm.
Amphitheater at the Park Zdrojowy in Busko-Zdrój
(In case of rain, the concert will take place at the Buskie Samorządowe Centrum Kultury, August 13 at 3:00 PM)
"Open-Air Piano Marathon"
Matthew Popescu (USA), Olivia Yu (USA), Aniela Jagna Wybraniec (Poland), Nathan Zhang (USA), Sophia Popescu (USA), Lyu Yuan (China), Xue Hancheng (China), Minami Asai (Japan), Yuya Seiki (Japan), Riona Yamauchi (Japan), Taiga Kageyama (Japan), Saki Yoshida (Japan), Sora Hayashi (Japan)
(Program: F. Chopin, J. Haydn, F. Liszt)
August 13, 2026, 7:00 PM
Hotel BRISTOL **** ART & Medical SPA
Concert at Hotel Bristol ****Art & Spa
Krystian Tkaczewski and International Piano Competition Laureates
Krystian Tkaczewski (Poland), Miki Hasegawa (Japan), Sophia Popescu (USA), Taiga Kageyama (Japan), Riona Yamauchi (Japan), Yuya Seiki (Japan), Sarah Nazari (USA), Lyu Yuan (China)
(Program: F. Chopin, A. Scriabin, F. Liszt, R. Schumann)
August 14, 2026, 7 pm
Auditiorium of Buskie Samorządowe Centrum Kultury
"Rising Stars of the Piano"
Ayla Moreno (USA/Japan), Miki Hasegawa (Japan), Sophia Popescu (USA), Saki Yoshida (Japan), Agnus Cai (USA), Sarah Nazari (USA), Sora Hayashi (Japan), Valerie Tam (Canada), Mila Dong (China), Fan Zhengran (China), Nathan Zhang (USA), Layla Guan (USA)
(Program: F. Chopin, L. van Beethoven, F. Liszt, M. Balakirev)
August 15 2026, 2 pm.
Amphitheater at the Park Zdrojowy in Busko-Zdrój
(In the event of rain, the concert will take place on August 16 at 2:00 PM in the Amphitheater)
"The Road to Independence"
"Chopin Outdoors"
Krystian Tkaczewski (Poland), Sarah Nazari (USA), Xinyan Zhou (Canada), Elena Zhang (USA), Layla Guan (USA), Mila Dong (China), Fan Zhengran (China), Agnus Cai (USA), Valerie Tam (Canada), Miki Hasegawa (Japan), Xue Hancheng (Chiny), Ayla Moreno (Japan/USA)
(The program consists exclusively of works by Frédéric Chopin).
August 15, 2026, 7 pm
Auditiorium of Buskie Samorządowe Centrum Kultury
"The Road to Independence"
"I Final Concert"
Krystian Tkaczewski (Poland/USA) – F. Chopin Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise in E-flat major, op. 22
accompanied by the Tarnów Chamber Orchestra
Riona Yamauchi (Japan), Taiga Kageyama (Japan), Sora Hayashi (Japan), Saki Yoshida (Japan), Miki Hasegawa (Japan), Yuya Seiki (Japan), Nathan Zhang (USA), Mila Dong (China), Fan Zhengran (China), Minami Asai (Japan)
Tarnów Chamber Orchestra, conductor – Vovka Ashkenazy (Iceland)
(Program includes piano concertos by: F. Chopin, L. van Beethoven, C. Saint-Saëns, F. Mendelssohn, E. Grieg, R. Schumann)
August 16, 2026, 7 pm
Auditiorium of Buskie Samorządowe Centrum Kultury
"Festival Closing Concert with the Tarnów Chamber Orchestra"
"II Final Concert"
Sophia Popescu (USA), Olivia Yu (USA), Xinyan Zhou (Canada), Elena Zhang (USA), Alex An (USA), Matthew Popescu (USA), Valerie Tam (Canada), Layla Guan (USA), Sarah Nazari (USA), Lyu Yuan (China), Xue Hancheng (China)
Tarnów Chamber Orchestra; Conductor: Vovka Ashkenazy (Iceland)
(Program featuring piano concertos by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, F. Mendelssohn, and R. Schumann)