Ewa Kupiec was born in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland and studied in Katowice, at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1992 she won the ARD International Music Competition in the duo piano/cello category. She is currently Professor of Piano at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. She regularly performs at the world’s leading festivals and also with major orchestras, which in recent seasons have included the Munich Philharmonic, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Danish Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris. Kupiec is a dedicated interpreter of contemporary music. Her Berlin Konzerthaus performance in 2005 of Schnittke’s First Piano Concerto with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra was the first performance of this work since 1964. Her recital and chamber music programs often include contemporary works, and a number of composers have dedicated pieces to her.

1. As a juror, what do you look for in a pianist taking part in a competition?
It...