Eight young Vietnamese pianists will be competing against 140 others atthe First International Chopin Piano tournament from Dec.1-5 inSingapore .

The competition, which commemoratesthe 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth, is being organised by theChopin Society ( Singapore ) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The Vietnamese pianists, who are aged between 10 to 16, will be competing in four of five categories.

Do Hoang Linh Chi, 13, and Hoang Ho Thu, 15, have a lot of experienceof international competition, said Ta Quang Dong, a lecturer at theVietnam National Academy of Music, who will be accompanying thecompetitors.

"The contestants can decide forthemselves which Chopin pieces they wish to play. The HanoiInternational Piano Contest that was held last September helped thecontestants enrich their Chopin repertoire," Dong said.

"The competition is being organised for the first time. It is prestigious though because of the calibre judges."

The judging panel consists of Gabriel Kwok, who has been head ofKeyboard Studies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since1989; Francesco Nicolosi, who is one of the most distinguished pianistsof the Italian tradition; Snezana Panovska, a highly acclaimed pianoprofessor, who stems from the Republic of Macedonia; Wojciech Switata, aprofessor at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice; andWarren Thompson, head of the School of Extension Studies at SydneyConservatorium./.