At 19 years old, she won the CBC National Radio Competition - Ep. 18: This is the Legend of Jane Coop

At 19 years old, she won the CBC National Radio Competition.

She has performed at the world’s most renowned concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Bolshoi.

She is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.

She is a 3-time Juno Award nominee.

She is a jury member of the Canadian Chopin Competition and the Junior Van Cliburn International Competition (for context, if the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw is Wimbledon/the Olympics, then the Van Cliburn is the U.S. Open).

She is a crucial checkpoint on the Road to Warsaw.

Join Amos Vang as he features the virtuosic career of pianist Jane Coop, CM OBC.  In this episode, Jane and Amos discuss the sheer amount of practice and skill required to even compete at the national and international levels of classical piano performance (6 to 9 hours a day, for pianists as young as 9 years old!), the beauty of Fryderyk Chopin’s music, and the difficult job that Jane has as a judge of the world’s top piano competitions.  Jane and Amos also discuss their own respective connections to piano performance, the importance of meditating on musical repertoire, and musicality itself.

            Tomorrow by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Other music composed by: Amos Vang and Fryderyk Chopin

-- CHAPTERS --

0:00 – Introduction

3:08 – Reminiscing on the Sixth Canadian Chopin Competition

3:42 – What inspired Jane Coop to pursue piano?

5:24 – What were Jane Coop’s early music influences?

9:25 – At 19, Jane Coop won 1st prize at the CBC National Radio Competition.  What was it like for her to win that prize?

11:00 – What is it like to perform at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Bolshoi?

12:15 – Most classical music listeners do NOT focus on the celebrity.  Rather, they focus on the performance’s quality itself.

16:20 – More Canadians and Americans are appreciating classical music, especially Chopin!

17:47 – How does Jane Coop judge the Cliburn, the Honens, and the Canadian Chopin Competition?

20:25 – Young Chinese pianists practice A LOT – 6 hours a day! Even then, it’s NOT ENOUGH!

23:36 – Choosing the top 3 of the Canadian Chopin Competition was extremely difficult!

24:22 – The final round of the 2025 International Chopin Competition has a new requirement: play the Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat Major Op. 61 along with one of Chopin’s concerti!

24:46 – Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat Major Op. 61 says a lot more musically than his concerti!

28:16 – What is musicality to Jane Coop?

30:41 – Modern grand pianos (especially modern concert grand pianos) are VERY different from Chopin’s Pleyel pianos.

32:41 – Who is Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin to Jane Coop?

36:08 – The Chopin Competition = Wimbledon, and the Van Cliburn = U.S. Open!

37:55 – The jury of the International Chopin Competition has an EXTREMELY DIFFICULT JOB!

39:00 – Jane Coop owns a Hamburg Steinway piano.  What is the difference between a New York Steinway and a Hamburg Steinway?

40:20 – At the 2021 International Chopin Competition, each competitor only had 15 minutes to try out all 5 pianos.

42:37 – In what ways has Chopin surprised Jane Coop?

45:37 – Will it ever be possible to have a true Urtext for Chopin?

49:15 – How does Jane Coop practice piano?

52:08 – The finest instrument is the mind!

54:48 – How does Jane Coop balance her musical philosophy and Chopin’s musical philosophy in her performances?

58:53 – How has Jane Coop’s music style evolved over her entire performing career?

1:00:46 – In musical performance, show, don’t tell!

1:01:43 – How does Jane Coop cooperate with different music ensembles in performance?

1:07:14 – How to watch or listen to the International Chopin Competition?

1:11:57 – Canada has a misconception of classical music as an elitist genre.

1:21:52 – What are the most rewarding aspects of Jane Coop’s career?  What are the most important lessons that Jane Coop has learned?

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