Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC) co-founders, John and Chateau Gardecki were honored on Wednesday with the Lifetime Achievement Arts Humanitarian Award presented by the Church of Scientology. The award recognizes the couple’s extraordinary more than two decades of contribution to the city’s cultural life, establishing Washington as a hub for non-professional classical pianists worldwide.
The award citation praised the couple’s enduring influence on Washington’s artistic landscape, stating:
“Our office has been honored and proud to know Chateau and John Gardecki, and to have helped support and sponsor several annual WIPAC Festival of Music and Washington International Piano Artists Competition events. Dupont Circle is noted for the arts, and WIPAC added a new dimension of classical piano music to the area. As the founders of WIPAC, their life’s work of sharing beautiful classical piano music inspired us to present them with the Lifetime Achievement Arts Humanitarian Award.”
The Gardeckis founded WIPAC in 2002 after John Gardecki, a resident pianist of Middleburg, Virginia, competed successfully in two of the world’s premier amateur competitions, the Concours International des Grands Amateurs de Piano in Paris and the Van Cliburn International Piano Amateur Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Those experiences inspired him and Chateau to offer musicians of similar backgrounds a platform in Washington that would unite artistry, community, and cultural exchange.
They quickly formed an executive board of music lovers and, with the assistance of Jerome Barry, founder and director of the Embassy Series, WIPAC launched its first public concert, the Winners Grand Prix Concert, at the French Embassy on April 24 2002. The event featured leading amateur pianists from Paris, Fort Worth, and Boston and drew strong public and diplomatic interest, marking the birth of a new cultural tradition in the capital.
Encouraged by their success, WIPAC was invited by Keith Peoples of the Society of the Cincinnati to revive public piano recitals at Anderson House Museum. The partnership produced seasonal concerts between 2002 and 2010, featuring acclaimed pianists such as Frederic Chiu, Eric Himy, and Janice Weber. The program later continued at the Kosciuszko Foundation American Polish Center for the Arts, further extending WIPAC’s reach within Washington’s embassy district.
Today, WIPAC’s signature Festival of Music and Washington International Piano Artists Competition, hosted in cooperation with the George Washington University Music Department, draw non-professional pianists from around the world. Participants, often professionals in diverse fields such as medicine, law, and engineering, perform for the love of music, exemplifying the Gardeckis’ belief that artistic passion transcends vocation.
Over more than two decades, the Gardeckis have woven piano artistry into the cultural fabric of Washington, engaging with embassies, nonprofits, and educational institutions. Their leadership has strengthened global friendships through music while giving dedicated amateurs a stage to achieve professional-level performance standards.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Arts Humanitarian Award marks a culmination of that lifelong mission. Through WIPAC, John and Chateau Gardecki have established that music not only enlightens audiences but also builds bridges between nations, cultures, and hearts.
