Việt Trung Nguyễn

A highly regarded young pianist of Vietnamese-Polish heritage, Việt Trung Nguyễn will – for the second time in his career – represent both of his homelands at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2025.

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Viêt Trung Nguyên, photo: International Chopin Competition

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Born on 30 September 1996 in Hanoi, he has lived in Poland since early childhood. His first contact with the piano came at the age of five, thanks to his older sister, who was taking lessons with Filomena Dziedzic. Recognising his interest in the instrument, the teacher recommended formal lessons, and in 2003 he began studying at the Oskar Kolberg State Music School in Warsaw. Her instincts proved right – just two years later, at the age of nine, Việt Trung won first prize at the Emma Altberg Competition in Łódź. From then on, his list of awards grew steadily.

‘I didn’t like practising – I preferred playing football and hanging out with friends. Only at the age of 12 did I finally fall in love [with the piano]. Why? Because I played a concert in Lviv, Ukraine. I remember performing Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor – the audience stood up. I felt amazing. After the concert, people came up to me and said they were moved and encouraged me to keep going. That was the moment I decided to truly pursue piano’,

he recalled in an interview with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

In 2009, he became a student of Professor Irina Rumiancewa-Dąbrowski at the Karol Szymanowski State Music School No. 4 in Warsaw. He later graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where he studied with Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, and in 2023, began doctoral studies with Kevin Kenner at the Frost School of Music in Miami.

As a mature artist, Nguyễn has also achieved success in numerous piano competitions, including: 1st prize at the 17th National Piano Festival Chopin Interpretations of the Young in Konin-Żychlin (2021); 5th prize at the National Chopin Competition in Warsaw (2020); Grand Prix at the International Chamber Music Competition in Vietnam (2019); 3rd prize at the Karlovac International Piano Competition in Croatia (2019); and Grand Prix and 1st prize at the National CEA Auditions (2014). He reached Stage II of the 18th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2021. Five years later, he qualified for the 19th edition.

Educated entirely within the Polish musical system, he has been immersed in the works of Fryderyk Chopin since childhood – a connection further strengthened by his Vietnamese roots:

‘Chopin’s music is adored in Vietnam – especially since Đặng Thái Sơn won the [Chopin] Competition in 1980, causing euphoria in Vietnam. He’s an idol for every Vietnamese person, myself included’.

It is no surprise, then, that his debut album, Chopin Piano Recital, released by the Warsaw Music Foundation in 2021, is entirely devoted to the music of Chopin.

Nguyễn has performed across Poland, the United States, Germany, France, Russia (St Petersburg Philharmonic), Ukraine, Hungary, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea (Seoul Arts Centre), and has toured Japan. He also appeared multiple times during Expo 2020 in Dubai, performing in the Polish Pavilion concert series. As a soloist, he has worked with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, Lublin Philharmonic, and the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also an active chamber musician and has collaborated with ensembles such as the Ulysses Quartet, Arod Quartet and Arso Quintet.

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chopin competition