Written by Sam Lock In 2025 over 600 pianists were whittled down to 162 and then down to 84. These musicians aimed to compete on stage, all playing the music from a single composer. Held every five years, the International Chopin Piano Competition (held in Warsaw) hosts talent from all over the world to compete in and celebrate Fryderyk Chopin’s music. Chopin created a vast catalogue of music that deeply resonates with audiences and musicians to this day. Ranging from extreme

I first learned about Noor Inayat Khan at a talk last year, and it is my honour to share her story with you today and to introduce you to one of the many brave women who assisted the Allies in WW II. Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, also called Nora, was born on January 1st, 1914, in Moscow; she was the eldest of four children. Her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, was an Indian musician and Sufi teacher, and her mother, Ameena Begum (born Ora Ray Baker), was an American poet and writer.