On Wednesday late in the evening, the jury announced the five-person line-up for the final of the 13th Ignacy Jan Paderewski International Piano Competition, an event that has become part of Bydgoszcz’s musical identity. There is no Polish contestant among them — the finalists include one Italian pianist and four from Asia.

The final round will begin on Friday, with South Korea being the most strongly represented by Kim Jiyoung and Roh Hyunjin. Japan is represented by Shuhei Aoishima, and Taiwan by Pin-Honh Lin. The only European finalist is the Italian pianist Elia Cecino. As the competition’s honorary director, Henryk Martenka, told us, there are no favorites here, as even the smallest number of points may make the difference. The winner of the competition will be announced on Saturday late in the evening.