Pianist wins Chopin competition on Yamaha CFX piano

Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva claimed first prize in the 2010 International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, having personally selected Yamaha’s acclaimed CFX concert grand piano for the event.

The competition was held over three weeks in the Polish capital of Warsaw, with Avdeeva’s prize-winning performance taking place on October 19th. The contest is followed by classical music lovers from all over the world and this year’s competition coincided with the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth is Warsaw in 1810.

Yulianna was selected from a group of ten finalists by a panel of renowned pianists, going away with the Gold Medal, a laurel wreath and 30,000 Euros.

She also collected the award for best sonata. The fourth placed pianist, Evgeni Bozhanov, from Bulgaria, also selected a Yamaha CFX.

"The CFX was twenty years in development and launched to the world only in March this year," said Mark Rolfe, director of pianos for Yamaha Music Europe. "We are thrilled and proud that this truly outstanding instrument has impressed so many artists, educators and concert hall managers in such a short space of time. The musicality and capability of the CFX has now been showcased to the entire classical music world thanks to Yulianna, who has shown the quality of the Yamaha CFX to be capable of matching and exceeding the other available instruments at the Chopin competition."