Due to the worldwide pandemic, the Association of Polish Piano Tuners asked Europiano and the IAPBT to postpone the organization of Piano Congress2021 by for one year, while emphasizing that after 20 months of organizing the congress we are ready to organize it.
Congress of delegates in Kalisz
In May 2018, during the Europiano congress in Italy, we announced our accession ability to organize the next Europiano congress. In October 2018, we organized a three-day meeting of delegates in Poland. It was the first time in the history of Europiano such a big- zbyt pospolite słowo meeting. Nearly 60 people from most European organizations associated in Europiano came to Kalisz. The honorary patronage over the meeting was assumed by the president of Kalisz, who welcomed the delegates in the reception hall of the town hall. We organized a visit to several renovation factories and a gala dinner with the participation of most of the renovation companies. The delegates considered the meeting in Kalisz as an organizational success. That is why they decided to entrust the Piano Congress 2021 to SPSF organization. 100 percent delegates voted in favor of the Europiano convention and the IAPBT Convention in Warsaw.
Preparations for Piano Congress
After the meeting in Kalisz, we started working almost immediately. We proposed the theme of the Congress (Piano yesterday, today and tomorrow with an emphasis on European producers). We developed the logo and name of the event – Piano Congress 2021. We found a one-storey hotel according to the criteria indicated by Europiano (Double Tree by Hilton was chosen), which can accommodate from 250 to even 700 people, and over 1000 people in the conference room. In 2019, the Polish delegation participated in the Europiano meetings in April (Frankfurt / Germany), July (Ludwigsburg / Germany) and November (Segovia / Spain) and the IAPBT Convention (Hamamatsu / Japan). We are in constant contact with the authorities of Europiano, with whom we consult the topic, program, selection of speakers and the place of the congress. Europiano’s management board during a visit to Warsaw in January this year they accepted the congress’s budget and participation price. In May 2019, we launched a website, an account on the facebook social network, and in October 2019, we created a congress office. We have hired a person to organize the congress.
Congress Partners
The SPSF has signed an agreement with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute (NIFC) (the organizer of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition). NIFC will take care of the first part of Piano Congress2021 in the field of historical instruments. There will be three events: the history of the piano, the reconstruction of historical instruments, and the copying of historical instruments. Moreover, NIFC will organize a gala concert at the Royal Castle in Warsaw for the opening of the Piano Congress. Also, there will be workshops on the preparation of a historical piano for the concert, conducted by Paul McNulty. Advanced talks are underway with regard to acquiring new institutional partners and honorary patronage from the authorities.
COVID-19
In March 2020, as a result of the coronavirus epidemic, our original plans were ruined. President Europiano suggested shortening PianoCongress 2021 from 4 to 3 days, limiting the program, thanks to which it would be possible to reduce the cost of participation in the congress. Every week we know more and more about the effects of the epidemic in individual countries and the prospects of overcoming it. Despite the revision of the Congress program and the participation prices, participants and exhibitors have suspended all decisions related to PianoCongress 2021. There is no one to organize PianoCongress next year.
In 2021, we will be in the middle of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic and there may be such a situation that in May 2021 nobody will be able to come to Europe. Regardless of where the Piano Congress would be held. Therefore, taking into account the safety of participants, their life and health, the congress cannot be organized in 2021.
Therefore, at the meeting in July this year. in Warsaw, with a representative of Europiano and IAPBT, we applied for the postponement of the organization of Piano Congress 2021 by one year. Various events around the world are postponed not only from 2020, but also from 2021. Our conclusion follows a global trend.
Preparations for the Piano Congress 2022
After 20 months of organizing the congress and involving considerable costs related to the preparation of the congress, we pre-booked the hotel at the turn of June, 3 – 5, 2022. We are also in talks with NIFC to postpone events by one year.
We are waiting for the acceptance of our proposal to postpone the Piano Congress organization to 2022 by the authorities of Europiano and IAPBT authorized to make such decisions, i.e. the congress of delegates representing all member organizations.
