Chateau Gardecki, who has guided the Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC) since 2000, opened her home to Diplomatic Watch to share the story behind an organization that brings gifted amateur pianists into the spotlight. What began with a spark of inspiration during a competition in Paris has grown into a Washington institution where music, culture, and global exchange come together. Today, WIPAC stands as a place where artists, patrons, and diplomats from many countries find common ground through the piano, keeping Washington D.C. connected to a wider musical world.
You have guided WIPAC since its founding in 2002. What inspired you to establish the organization, and how has your original vision evolved over time?
Wow. That’s a good question. I was in Paris with my husband. He was a competitor at that time and made it to the semifinals. At the finals, two men were called, and they were both Americans. They ran to the stage from both sides of the hall, and I said, “oh, gee, I want this in America”. I want this to happen in Washington. When we came back, I called my good friends and said, why don’t you join me to establish a company or an organization where we can present a piano competition in Washington? Good for me, they agreed, and we went to Middleburg for our first meeting at the home of a friend. It evolved from there.
We created the organization in 2000, received our $501c(3) in 2001, and presented our first concert at the French Embassy with one of the winners because the second winner could not come. I asked my husband if he wanted to join, and he did. The Cultural Attaché at that point was Roland Celette, who had just returned from the Philippines, and he remembered meeting me there because I worked for the French Embassy. The event was delightful, and we have appreciated our friends’ kindness and encouragement ever since.
In your experience, how does amateur classical piano performance serve as a meaningful platform for cultural diplomacy and international exchange, particularly within Washington’s diverse community?
Every country has a good pianist, I believe. All embassies should be included in my concerts and competitions. I reached out to my friends to connect with other embassies and began from there.
We have friends with different aspirations and ambitions, and I tapped their thoughts. We organized a good consensus of friends to continue this mission. Being with classical pianists is a wondrous thing. They are a different kind of breed. It takes a long time to study piano, but if you have the ability and the talent, it becomes easy for them.
I thought that if I continued looking for pianists who can play classical music, it would serve everybody well. I go to Paris and attend competitions to meet these pianists because I call them my closet pianists. They have other professions besides playing piano. I thought that if I could get one of those doctors to come and perform, other professions would follow suit. That is what I did.
WIPAC’s Festival of Music and the Washington International Piano Arts Competition attract nonprofessional pianists from around the world. Could you share a memorable story or performance that captures the essence of what WIPAC stands for?
I will tell you something that was really interesting and warms my heart. I was at the Mexican Cultural Institute when I organized a concert there. One of my oldest patrons was Mr. and Mrs. John Barnard. Ms. Jan Anderson Barnard is still alive. He passed away a few years ago.
His grandson was there and was inspired by the concert, listening to these pianists who are nonprofessional. He used to study piano. When they went home, he told his grandmother, “Grandma, I want to go back to play piano because I love what I heard.” She said, “Alright. I will buy you a piano.”
A few years later, he started playing piano again and used that experience as part of his thesis. When he submitted an application for a grant, he was able to get it by mentioning what he was doing for WIPAC at that concert. He got $120,000, I think, in grant funds for his education.
A few years later, when Mr. Barnard passed away, they called me and said, “Chateau, we have a memorial for my grandfather. Would you like to join and listen to me? Because I’ll be playing the nocturne that he loves so much.” I did go. That was a very heartwarming story, and I wanted to share it with all of you.
How does WIPAC collaborate with diplomatic missions, educational institutions, and cultural organizations to broaden its reach and strengthen global connections through music?
They should open their schools to good educators and good students who want to achieve professional status and also travel beyond their region to continue playing and let their children hear them play.
Since they will not be paid much, they can perform without restrictions related to money. Students can come. In New Jersey, when I was there, my husband, as a pianist, performed. Knowing that fewer people would attend, I invited a nearby school to send ten students to sit in the front row so children could listen without paying. It was a nice time we had with those children.
What role do the arts, and piano music in particular, play in advancing mutual understanding and dialogue in today’s complex global environment?
Very good question. I wish I could answer it clearly, but mutual understanding is always a good starting point when you want to build a relationship with an embassy. Whether it is music, education, or poverty, there is a common denominator: people and time. If everyone shares a sense of motion, education, and mission, you can accomplish something through mutual understanding.
Looking ahead, what key goals or initiatives are you most eager to pursue for WIPAC in the next few years, and how can partners in the United States and abroad contribute to those efforts?
First, we have to develop an organization that will strengthen your mission. Funding is a very important part of our organization. Without funding, we cannot survive or explore opportunities.
We would like to partner with other nonprofit organizations to bring in some pianists from their side of the world and bring in educators or jurors to improve our competition. That is very important.
As both a leader and artistic visionary, how do you balance the organizational demands of managing events with the creative aspects that inspire participants and audiences alike?
First of all, WIPAC is not about me, my husband, or the people. It is about music. When you lay that out and tell everybody what your mission is, it becomes easier to develop things together.
There are no personal advantages for me or anyone else on the board. We are all the same, and we achieve things through music.
What advice would you offer to young or amateur musicians who hope to engage with WIPAC and use their talent to make a positive cultural impact?
First of all, they have to be themselves. They have to be true to their music. They have to be true to themselves. They must open their mind and their heart so things will flow easily. Music is always the product of good behavior and good thinking. Good.
As you travel to Paris for the 33rd International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Paris, what do you hope this experience will add to WIPAC’s international work and support for the American pianists performing there?
Thank you for asking that question. I am going to Paris on Wednesday, November 18, with my delegation of four women on the board and my sister. We will attend the thirty-third Concours du Piano in Paris.
I already sent a message to the President, Gerard Beckerman, and he said, “Welcome, Bibi, and I have six tickets for you.” I wrote to the Ambassador in Paris asking him to come to the competition because last year, the US Ambassador joined us and she was sitting next to Madame Macron, the mother of the President of France.
I hope the Ambassador will join us, and I intend to invite the former Ambassador of Malta, who is a friend of ours. Four WIPAC members will be rallying behind me and behind the American pianists who will be performing there. Wish us luck, and we hope to bring more pianists to America. Thank you. Bye bye. Ta ta.
