The Beethovenfest scheduled later this month for the composer’s 250th anniversary has been called off due to Government restrictions on the size of audiences at public events.

The festival usually takes place in September. This year there were to have been two festivals, in March and September. The first has been called off, the second is uncertain.

The festival director is Nike Wagner, a hereditary organiser.

Warsaw has just notified us that the 18th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition has been affected by Government measures to control the spead of Coronavirus.

Following the decision of Polish Government’s coronavirus crisis management team to temporarily cancel all public cultural events, the Chopin Institute has decided to move the preliminary round of the 18th Chopin Competition from April to September.

The new schedule of the preliminary round (originally planned for April, 17-28) will be published soon.