A gentle, introspective expression passed over Evren Ozel’s face as he began playing the melody of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11.
The 21-year-old Minneapolis native had played Chopin hundreds — if not thousands — of times before, but this time the stakes were higher.
Ozel’s performance Feb. 29 at the National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami earned him the second-place prize. He walked away with $30,000 and a spot in next fall’s International Chopin Competition in Poland — one of the world’s most prestigious piano contests.
Read the entire article here.