Winners of Egypt's Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth, 2025, at the Cairo Opera House's small hall (Photo: Rahn Education)
The celebratory concert showcased the best talents that took part in the competition, organized in Cairo every other year.
In Category A, for participants up to 12 years old, the first prize was awarded to Carla Soliman, with Roger Ebraheem and Marielle Awad taking the second and third prizes, respectively.
In Category B (ages 13–15), Youssef Magawe secured first place, while Mahmoud Shawky and Eyad Qadoora won the second and third prizes.
Ali Abdelrazik earned first prize in Category C (ages 16–19), and in Category D (ages 20–24), Halaa Haytham Awad received the top award, with Khaled Hajajj taking third place.
In addition, the chosen winners were awarded special prizes.
Youssef Magawe was recognized as “the most outstanding pianist of the competition” and was praised for “the finest rendition of a composition by Chopin.”
Halaa Haytham Awad received a special prize for “the most compelling interpretation of a classical piece,” while Roger Ebraheem was awarded a special prize for the most talented youngest participant of the competition.
The jury panel featured maestro Ahmed El-Saedi (Egypt), renowned pianist and piano professor Mariola Cieniawa-Puchala (Poland), and Helgeheide Schmidt from the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig and piano professor at Rahn Education (Germany).
The celebratory evening, while heavily focused on the music of Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), also featured compositions by Mozart and Beethoven, offering a diverse musical programme that highlighted the technical range and emotional depth of the young performers.
According to Ahmed El-Saedi, renowned Egyptian conductor and member of the competition’s jury panel, “this year saw an increased interest in the competition, with 30 applicants responding to the call.”
He added that the young musicians who applied to the competition were mostly Egyptians and came mainly from Cairo and Alexandria. “They represent students at different music schools, as well as those relying purely on private lessons,” he said, underlining their strong commitment to music.
Beyond the competition
Since the competition's establishment, winners have been awarded a concert at the Cairo Opera House and a trip to Poland, allowing them to follow in Chopin’s footsteps.
The partnering institutions—the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Cairo, the Europejska Fundacja Oświaty i Kultury Zielona Góra of Rahn Education, and Rahn Education—plan to offer the same experience to this year’s first prize winners.
In Poland, the winners might be able to give a performance at one of the prestigious venues, with details to be announced in due course.
Moreover, all awardees participated in a masterclass led by Mariola Cieniawa-Puchala, benefiting from further insight into performance nuances from an internationally acclaimed pianist and academic.
El-Saedi mentioned an additional attraction: he welcomed young talents — pianists and other instrumentalists — to audition on 29 June at the Cairo Opera House.
The best musicians will be able to perform with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in the upcoming season.
Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth
The Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth accepts applicants of all nationalities living or residing in Egypt.
It has four age categories, and the maximum age of applicants is 24 at the time of the competition's finale.
The competition's story goes back to 2010, when it was founded by the Egyptian Youth Music Association in collaboration with the Polish Embassy and the Cairo Opera House, which hosted a concert by the winners.
Over the years, the initiative has witnessed many modifications, and since 2021, it has been organized through a dynamic partnership between the Embassy of Poland and Rahn Education.
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