SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
RACHEL NAOMI KUDO
Second Prize, 2005, 2010 & 2015 National Competitions
The Foundation supports young American pianists through up to four years of preparation for the National Chopin Piano Competition — awarded on a competitive basis, renewed each year by audition.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 15
The same deadline applies every year. Scholarships are announced by August 15.
Chopin Foundation Scholarship Program for Young Pianists
Renewable scholarships of $1,000 are awarded each year on a competitive basis to outstanding young American pianists who demonstrate a special affinity for the interpretation of Chopin’s music. The Scholarship Committee may also grant half-awards of $500; a half-award may be granted to an applicant only once during the four-year program.
Decisions of the Scholarship Committee are final and not open to discussion.
Eligibility
The program is open to all qualified American pianists — U.S. citizens or legal residents — not younger than 14 and not older than 17 years of age on May 15 of their first year of application.
Legal residency means those with valid green cards or those on the path to citizenship. Non-resident visa holders, F-1 for example, are not eligible.
Renewal
Scholarships are renewable for up to four years as long as the recipient continues to study piano, maintains satisfactory academic progress, and submits an application each year including a video recording of an unedited performance of the Chopin works required for that year.
The Committee may accept a returning applicant even if one year was skipped within the four-year period. Any applicant not awarded a scholarship may reapply the following year with a new recording from that year’s required repertoire. Reapplication is allowed only once while in the program.
What you play, year by year
Each year of the program has its own required Chopin repertoire. Applicants record the works for the year they are entering.
Year 1
- Two Etudes
- Two Nocturnes
- and one of the followingA Ballade, a Scherzo, the Barcarolle in F-sharp Major Op. 60, or the Fantasia in F minor Op. 49
Year 2
- Six consecutive PreludesFrom Op. 28, played in order
- Two Waltzes
- Two Mazurkas
Year 3
- One Sonata
- and one PolonaiseAndante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Op. 22, Polonaise in F-sharp minor Op. 44, Polonaise in A-flat Major Op. 53, both Polonaises from Op. 26, or the Polonaise-Fantasy Op. 61
Year 4
- One of Chopin's two ConcertosAll movements, with orchestra or second piano
Recordings must be made in one session and uploaded as separate files — for example, a Year 1 applicant uploads three files: the two Etudes, the two Nocturnes, and the chosen work.
How to apply
All scholarship applications are submitted online through GetAcceptd. Please read all online instructions before preparing your application — incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications are made available by January 1 each year.
Required with every application
① Statement of career goals.
② Two recommendations from piano teachers or professional piano performers. Letters must include the full name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the person making the recommendation.
③ An unedited video recording of the Chopin works required for your year, recorded in one session but saved and uploaded as separate files. The repertoire must be played from memory, recorded by a single camera with the right profile to the camera, showing the pianist’s whole silhouette, feet, and hands.
④ Proof of current school enrollment or a statement of being homeschooled.
⑤ Copy of birth certificate or proof of U.S. naturalization or legal residency.
⑥ Non-refundable $35.00 application fee.
⑦ Optional: additional pages listing significant repertoire studied. Mark works performed in public with an asterisk, and include programs or reviews if possible.
On the recording: Envision yourself performing in a recital. All pieces should be played on the same piano, on the same day, with natural pauses between them just as in a live performance. It is acceptable if the camera stops between pieces.
Please contact the Chopin Foundation with any questions.
The Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc.
Attn: Scholarship Committee
11900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 760, Miami, FL 33181
Phone: (305) 868-0624 Fax: (305) 865-5150 Email: admin@chopin.org