Eighty-seven pianists from around the world—selected from an initial pool of 500 applicants who had sent in their recordings and sought to qualify for the event—are taking part in the first of the competition's three stages leading up to the finals on October 18-20.
The auditions, at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, are being held in two sessions: a morning session starting at 10 a.m. and an evening session beginning at 5 p.m.
Monika Pilch spoke to some of the participants as she followed their performances at the Warsaw philharmonic hall.
Click on the audio player above to listen.