For Immediate Release

April 2025

Introducing Season Two of The Chopin Podcast – a podcast about the greatest piano music ever composed.

The Chopin Podcast, a 16-episode series that delves into the unparalleled piano compositions of Frédéric Chopin, premiered on October 2, 2024. The second season has just launched, with following episodes to be released from April to September 2025. The podcast offers an intimate exploration of Chopin's genius for a broad audience, from classical piano insiders to curious music-lovers. Click to preview The Chopin Podcast.

Created and hosted by Ben Laude and featuring the insights of GRAMMY Award-winning concert pianist Garrick Ohlsson in every episode, the series will also include special guests from renowned Chopin scholars to past Chopin Competition medalists.

Produced in partnership with the Chopin Foundation of the United States, The Chopin Podcast season one led right into the 11th National Chopin Competition, which took place January 4-12, 2025 in Miami, FL. Held every five years, the National Chopin Competition is a launching pad for the best young American pianists, with the top two prize-winners, William Yang and Anthony Ratinov, earning automatic admission to the live rounds at the 19th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in October 2025. Garrick Ohlsson will serve as the Chairman of the Jury of the XIX International Chopin Competition.

In 2022, Garrick Ohlsson was named Honorary Chairman of the Chopin Foundation, affirming their joint dedication to the mission to make Chopin’s music accessible to everyone. The Chopin Podcast embodies this ideal and offers a platform for Ohlsson to communicate the universality of Chopin’s music to popular audiences.

In season two of The Chopin Podcast, compositional genre explored include: the Waltzes, Mazurkas, Polonaises, Sonatas, and Concertos, as well as a “Variety Show” episode dedicated to the Rondos, chamber music, and more. Special guests include acclaimed Chopin interpreters such as Emanuel Ax, Stephen Hough, Yulianna Avdeeva, and Jerome Lowenthal, among others.

Listeners can tune in weekly on Apple, Spotify, Audible and other podcasting platforms. Video versions of each episode will also be available on Ben Laude's YouTube channel.