In October 2025, during the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, our school's attention was caught by the story of one of its participants – the pianist Hyuk Lee. It turned out that he had started learning Polish only three years earlier, and entirely on his own. The Competition, held in Warsaw since 1927, is one of the oldest and most prestigious piano competitions in the world.
Polish from Chopin's letters
Hyuk Lee began learning Polish when he moved to Poland. As he recalled, he translated Chopin's letters, and these became the basis for his language learning.
It would be hard to imagine a more personal textbook. Frederic Chopin's letters to his family and friends, written in Polish, are a vivid record of the Polish language in the first half of the 19th century. In them, the composer wrote about music, travel and everyday life, and over time also about his longing for the country he left in 1830. Their language is lively and direct – full of jokes, descriptions of people and places, and warm greetings. Some of them were addressed to his friend from his youth, Tytus Woyciechowski.
Translating texts that genuinely interest us is a demanding but effective way to learn: it makes us search for the right words, notice differences in grammar and return again and again to the same phrases.
Every journey begins with a first step
For a school named after Frederic Chopin, this story is especially close to our hearts. It shows that a language can be reached through music, literature and curiosity about the world, and that three years of persistent work can achieve a great deal. To our pupils, for whom Polish is one of their two everyday languages, we wish the same perseverance – because every journey begins with a first step.
The pianist's competition performance can be watched in the attached recording.
