LEXUS PARTNERS WITH THE 18TH INTERNATIONAL CHOPIN PIANO COMPETITION

Lexus is a proud partner of the 18th International Chopin Competition, a celebration of the talents of musicians from around the world and the work of Poland’s most celebrated cultural figure. The competition opened on October 2 with a gala concert in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, the principal venue for three weeks of competition performances.

It is Lexus’ 12th year of sponsorship support for the event, having begun its association in with the Chopin and His Europe Festival in 2009, in preparation for the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth and the 16th edition of the competition the following year.

Lexus will once again be providing transport for participants between the competition venues with a fleet of more than a dozen self-charging hybrid electric vehicles. The famous quietness and smooth performance of the Lexus cars will provide a calm and safe environment that will help the artists relax and focus on their performances.

Lexus is renowned for delivering concert hall-quality sound inside its cars, reflected in its industry-first exclusive partnership with high-end audio specialists Mark Levinson. Each new Lexus model is available with a bespoke Mark Levinson premium surround sound system, designed to achieve the best sound reproduction quality in that particular vehicle. This sound quality is supported by extensive, detailed measures to insulate the car’s interior from intrusive external noises.

That quality is appreciated by Jan Lisiecki, the world-famous Polish-Canadian pianist who is an acclaimed interpreter of Chopin’s work and a leading advocate of Lexus. He commented: “In many cars the quality of the audio equipment is such that all you can hear is a rumble. A Lexus – not least because they are mostly hybrid cars – is quiet and the quality of the equipment and the number of speakers allow you to hear individual instruments in an orchestra. You sit comfortably, feeling like you are in a concert hall. You don’t get that experience in any other car.”

The 18th edition of the competition, postponed from 2020 due to the global pandemic, features 87 pianists whose skills will be judged by an eminent jury of 17 representatives from the world of piano music. The competition rounds will continue to determine the finalists who will return to compete for the top placings on 18-20 October ahead of the prize-winners concerts on 21-23 October.

All auditions are streamed in 4K via the Chopin Competition mobile app (available on iOS and Android), the Chopin2020.pl website (Multimedia tab) and on the Chopin Institute YouTube channel.