Some of the world’s best young pianists will return to Fort Worth this spring in hopes of securing the gold in the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.After holding live screening auditions at Texas Christian University in March, The Cliburn on Wednesday named 30 pianists who will move forward to the official competition in May.
The advancing pianists range in age from 18 to 30 and span 17 countries, including those with dual representation. China is the most represented country, with seven competitors, while the U.S. and Russia have four each.
The Cliburn, established in Fort Worth in 1962, is held every four years and considered one of the most prestigious classical music competitions in the world. The competition was founded to celebrate Fort Worth musical legend Van Cliburn’s victory at the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Over 70 pianists were chosen from an international pool of 340 applicants to participate in this year’s auditions. Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO, said its screening jury worked with “dedication” to consider this year’s applicants and narrow down the field for the competition.
“As usual, we were impressed with the high level of playing, craft, engagement, enthusiasm, and commitment of each of these pianists,” he said in a statement. “The Cliburn is honored to provide an international platform for them to express their musical vision and to help usher them into the next steps of their professional journeys.”
Here are the pianists advancing to compete in the 2025 Cliburn competition from May 21 to June 7:
- Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, 25
- Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26
- Alice Burla, Canada, 28
- Yangrui Cai, China, 24
- Elia Cecino, Italy, 23
- Yanjun Chen, China, 23
- Jiarui Cheng, China, 26
- Federico Gad Crema, Italy, 26
- Shangru Du, China, 27
- Roman Fediurko, Ukraine, 20
- Magdalene Ho, Malaysia, 21
- Carter Johnson, Canada/United States, 28
- Xiaofu Ju, China, 25
- Mikhail Kambarov, Russia, 24
- David Khrikuli, Georgia, 24
- Pedro López Salas, Spain, 27
- Philipp Lynov, Russia, 26
- Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
- Callum McLachlan, United Kingdom, 26
- Evren Ozel, United States, 26
- Chaeyoung Park, South Korea, 27
- Korkmaz Can Sağlam, Turkey, 25
- Aristo Sham, Hong Kong China, 29
- Kotaro Shigemori, Japan, 25
- Vitaly Starikov, Israel/Russia, 30
- Anastasia Vorotnaya, Russia, 30
- Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
- Xuanxiang Wu, China, 18
- Ryota Yamazaki, Japan, 26
- Sung Ho Yoo, South Korea, 28
The 16th iteration of the competition was postponed from 2021 to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At age 18, South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim became the youngest musician in the competition’s 60-year history to win first place.
Marquis previously told the Report that tensions between Russia and Ukraine were prominent in the 2022 competition. There isn’t concern about international conflicts this time around, he said in March.
“This one will be a little bit more quiet, hopefully. We can focus on the music and especially on these fantastic artists,” he said.
The competing pianists will arrive in Fort Worth in mid-May for introductory events and parties before the first notes are played. The first two rounds of the 2025 competition will be held at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU before concluding at Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth.
Individual tickets range from $10-$225. The entire competition will be broadcast live to an international audience.
The three pianists that medal will have their careers managed through the Cliburn for three years, which ranges from booking concerts to mentorship and media training. A total of $265,000 in cash will be awarded, including $100,000 for the gold medalist, $50,000 for the silver medalist and $25,000 for the bronze medalist.
“This is the highest level of competition you can find,” Marquis previously told the Report. “You have the best of the best coming from all over the world and we’re lucky to have that here in Fort Worth.”
Breakdown of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano
May 21-23: Preliminary round where 30 competitors perform a 40-minute recital
May 24-25: Quarterfinal round where 18 competitors perform a 40-minute recital
May 28-June 1: Semifinal round where 12 competitors perform in two phases:
- 60-minute recital
- A Mozart concerto with Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
June 3-7: Final round where six competitors perform two concertos with American conductor Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
June 7: Awards ceremony and announcement of gold, silver and bronze medalists at Bass Performance Hall
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @davidmreports.
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