The Story
of WIPAC

In January 2001, John Gardecki, a resident pianist of Middleburg, Virginia, joined the ranks of accomplished top-level amateur pianists who competed at Concours International des Grands Amateurs de Piano in Paris, France. After his Paris performance, he competed in the 2nd Van Cliburn International Piano Amateur Competition at Fort Worth, Texas, and received encouraging and positive feedback on his piano playing. The Paris and Fort Worth experience motivated and inspired John and his wife, Chateau, to bring this kind of international competition to Washington, DC.

With the encouragement and assistance of Jerome Barry, Director of the Embassy Series, Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC) successfully launched its first public event at the La Maison Française of the French Embassy, on April 24, 2002, featuring four winners of international piano competitions for outstanding amateurs chosen from Paris, Fort Worth (Van Cliburn), and Boston. The concert, aptly titled WINNERS GRAND PRIX CONCERT, was very well received by the public. News of that successful event in 2002 traveled fast. Immediately afterwards, Mr. Keith Peoples of the Society of the Cincinnati extended an invitation to WIPAC to help revive their tradition of offering piano concerts to the general public at the Anderson House Museum.

WIPAC's Anderson House Piano Concert Series continued until 2010 with 4 piano concerts every year. Many memorable programs have been presented by great professional pianists, including Frederic Chiu, Eric Himy, Stuart Isacoff, Silvanna Santinelli, Raymond Jackson, David Witten, Tzvetan Konstantinov, Frank Conlon, Michael Lewin, Janice Weber, and many others.

The WIPAC piano concert tradition continued at the Kosciuszko Foundation American Polish Center for the Arts, Washington Office, at 2025 O Street NW, Washington, DC. Each year WIPAC presented the winner of its Washington International Piano Artists Competition and 3 concerts were offered by professional pianists — all free of charge to the public.

One of WIPAC's most interesting annual events is the Winners Grand Prix Concert in April, a fundraising event for the summer piano competition. It features non-professional pianists — all winners of various international piano competitions — demonstrating the high level of artistry these pianists have achieved over a lifetime, despite their full-time work in professions other than piano performance. They perform primarily for the love of music.

WIPAC received accreditation as a non-profit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3) in December 2002. Since then, the organization has subsisted through the generous support of its membership and foundation grants. WIPAC is an all-volunteer organization.

The Annual Festival and Competition

The highlight of every year is WIPAC's Festival of Music and the Washington International Piano Artists Competition. The competition is open to pianists 31 years of age and above who are not professional pianists, traditionally held in the first week of August, in cooperation with The George Washington University Music Department and various international embassies and organizations in Washington, DC.

Explore More

WIPAC maintains a rich treasure trove of recordings and video performances from the Annual Festival of Music, available on the Highlights page. Various press reviews and photos can be found on the Press page. For more information, please contact us or visit the Membership page.