The Chopin Competition in Warsaw is one of the major events in the classical music world. The list of former laureates includes several of the greatest pianists of our time, including Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, and Krystian Zimerman. The Chopin Competition is also unique for two reasons: it is only held once every five years, and it features works of one sole composer. In October 2021, the jury had already heard Chopin’s E Minor Concerto eight times. But then, Canadian pianist Bruce Liu entered upon the stage. Although the Warsaw audience is known to be quite critical, it broke into standing ovations even before the last chord had sounded. Just a few hours later, the result was clear: Bruce Liu was the winner of the 18th Chopin Competition. And in 2021 the classical music world had been awaiting this event even more impatiently than usual, since it had been postponed for one year due to the pandemic. When asked what he thought about the fact that the Polish press was comparing him to martial arts icon Bruce Lee, his quasi-namesake, the newly crowned prizewinner answered, tongue-in-cheek, that he perhaps has “a similar energy”. Our audience will surely partake in that same energy and passion when he gives his début performance this year at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Düsseldorf. Of course, Bruce Liu will not only play works by Liszt and Ravel, but also by Chopin!