Andrejs Osokins likes the name "International Piano Forum" very much.

This is also how he experienced this Frankfurt cultural institution: With its President Maryam Maleki, who organizes the International German Pianist Prize, the forum made sure that he felt very comfortable and got the impression “that everyone could really concentrate on the music “.

The Latvian pianist took part in the 2015 piano competition in Frankfurt.

He finally won the audience award, which was endowed with 3000 euros.

And unlike other competitions, whose organizers forget about their participants after the prize money has been handed over, the Piano Forum continues afterwards.

Guido Holze

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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He actually felt less like a competition with competitors than as a musician on a "forum", says Osokins.

Nevertheless, he was very nervous when he was selected for the public final round in the Frankfurt Alte Oper, at that time still in the smaller Mozart Hall.

In contrast to other competitions, there were two extensive rehearsals with the orchestra for the International German Pianist Prize - instead of the fifteen minutes for playing together that is usual elsewhere.

Commitment to colleagues

The Piano Forum team continued to support his career afterwards: arranged contacts with conductors, produced his own CD with him and gave many tips.

For him and his career, it was "a strong push," a "boost," says Osokins today.

At that time he was already 30 years old and was therefore at the upper age limit for taking part in competitions: "My style and my individuality were actually already mature, and I was then able to give many concerts," he recalls of what came after the pianist prize .

Osokins himself has been teaching at the Riga Conservatory for several years now and has set up his own culture and music festival in his native Latvia, “influenced by Maryam Maleki”, as he says.

Because he saw her as the driving force in Frankfurt with her energy and, thanks to her, still feels supported by the International Piano Forum today.


With his own festival, which is now entering its fourth edition, Osokins is also supporting other colleagues: “We dedicated the previous third festival to Ukraine to help musicians there with charity campaigns.

Because of the pandemic, the past two, almost three years have been very difficult due to the many concert cancellations.


Yekwon Sunwoo, who was awarded the jury's main prize of 20,000 euros at the International German Pianist Prize in Frankfurt in 2015, not only remembers his competitor Osokins well - he also remembers the atmosphere just as positively.

And he is still in contact with the Piano Forum and continues to feel “emotionally supported”, as he says.

The now 33-year-old South Korean pianist is even a member of the nomination jury for the current competition this year.

This means that he is currently using the videos submitted by 50 applicants to select the six candidates who will be invited to come to Frankfurt on November 25th.

They will then be held on the 26th and 27th this year.

A special feature of the competition is the composition of the main jury, which Sunwoo does not include himself.

It consists not only of pianists and professors, but also of conductors and critics.

The South Korean, who will soon be giving concerts in the United States and Estonia, believes that the process for selecting the winner is very clear and fair.

Even more special or even unique is that the jurors are not supposed to meet or vote before and after, but cast their vote separately and even under notarial supervision in a secret ballot.