Born in Windsor, Ont., Daniel Wnukowski is the only Canadian in the Honens Competition this year.Jeff McIntosh
The basics The only Canadian in the Honens Competition this year, this 28-year-old was born in Windsor, Ont. He now lives in London.
Piano cred "I think the piano chose me," says Wnukowski. He first spotted the instrument at age 3 and eventually trained in Italy and Baltimore. Now, he performs with orchestras around the world.
In rehearsal He likes to keep practice to four hours a day, citing a study he once read that suggests doing more or less than that isn't particularly helpful.
Favourite music Goldberg Variations by Bach. Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28 .
Performance high A recital for students in grades 1 to 6 in Calgary. "I always say my favourite audience is 10-year-olds," he says. "The rule of thumb is if you can't explain something to a 10-year-old, you probably don't know it yourself."
Performance low For a performance in Warsaw when he was 19, Wnukowski studied hypnosis to calm his nerves. It worked, but he says his hands "were freezing cold" and when the conductor started, "I noticed my fly was undone. It was so obvious on the stage everybody could see it. I didn't know what to do: to stop the show or to turn around, or anything, so I just played."
iPod playlist Right now he's actually just listening to CBC radio.
If he didn't play piano There were times in his life when he wanted to quit piano, but he fell into a funk after a few months of silence. "The piano was always somehow the root of everything," he says.