77 PIANISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2025 CLIBURN COMPETITION FREE SCREENING AUDITIONS

The free Screening Auditions for the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will take place March 16–22, 2025, at PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. These recitals are free and open to the public.

FORT WORTH, Texas, January 28, 2025—The Cliburn announces today the 77 exceptional pianists representing 22 countries and regions—from an international applicant pool of 340—selected to come to Fort Worth this spring to participate in the live Screening Auditions (March 16–22, 2025) of the seventeenth edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (May 21–June 7, 2025). The Auditions are free and open to the public. Visit cliburn.org/2025-screening-auditions to learn more.

Full pianist list below.

1. 77 pianists
2. Ages 18 to 30, average age: 25 (ages as of May 21, 2025)
3. 18 women, 59 men
4. 22 countries and regions represented (including dual representation)

• • Austria, Canada, China, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong/China, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan/China, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States
  • Most represented: China (22), South Korea (10), United States (9)

• Dates: March 16–22, 2025 (detailed schedule here)
• Venue: PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU
• 77 pianists each perform 25-minute recitals
• Five-member Screening Jury:

• • Philippe Bianconi (France)
  • Gloria Chien (Taiwan/China/United States)
  • Alexander Kobrin (United States)
  • Momo Kodama (Japan)
  • Roberto Plano (Italy/United States)

• Pianist travel and lodging are arranged for and covered by the Cliburn

• All Auditions are open to the public and free to attend. No tickets are required.
• Patrons must be 10 years of age or older to attend the Screening Auditions or the Cliburn Competition.
• Performances will begin promptly on schedule; no late seating will be allowed.

The following 77 pianists were chosen from a pool of 340 total applications representing 45 countries and regions.

Alexander Agate, United States, age 30
Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, 25
Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26
Ádám Balogh, Hungary, 27
Rachel Breen, United States, 28
Alice Burla, Canada, 28
Yangrui Cai, China, 24
Elia Cecino, Italy, 23
Kai-Min Chang, Taiwan/China, 24
Xuehong Chen, China, 25
Yanjun Chen, China, 23
Jiarui Cheng, China, 26
Wooyoung Cho, South Korea, 24
Alexander Doronin, Russia, 22
Shangru Du, China, 27
Zhengyang Fan, China, 21
Roman Fediurko, Ukraine, 20
Federico Gad Crema, Italy, 26
Yang (Jack) Gao, China, 21
Miao Gao, China, 25
Yungyung Guo, China, 21
Derek Hartman, United States, 27
Magdalene Ho, Malaysia, 21
Yi-Chung Huang, Taiwan/China, 23
Yi-Teng Huang, Taiwan/China, 26
Hyun-gyu Ji, South Korea, 23
Carter Johnson, Canada/United States, 28
Xiaofu Ju, China, 25
Mikhail Kambarov, Russia, 24
David Khrikuli, Georgia, 24
Hyelim Kim, South Korea, 28
Jeongjin Kim, South Korea, 27
Saehyun Kim, South Korea, 18
Song Hyeon Kim, South Korea, 22
Aleksandr Kliuchko, Russia, 24
Maxim Lando, United States, 22
Saebeom Lee, South Korea, 29
Yu Lei, China, 20
Daumants Liepiņš, Latvia, 30
Ziyu Liu, China, 27
Pedro López Salas, Spain, 27
Jiaqing Luo, China, 25
Philipp Lynov, Russia, 26
Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
Callum McLachlan, United Kingdom, 26
Aidan Mikdad, Netherlands, 23
Jiaxin Min, China, 29
Andrea Molteni, Italy, 27
Shunta Morimoto, Japan, 20
Georgijs Osokins, Latvia, 30
Evren Ozel, United States, 26
Chaeyoung Park, South Korea, 27
Élisabeth Pion, Canada/United Kingdom, 29
Korkmaz Can Sağlam, Turkey, 25
Aristo Sham, Hong Kong/China, 29
Mariamna Sherling, Israel, 24
Kotaro Shigemori, Japan, 25
Hyojin Shin, South Korea, 28
Vitaly Starikov, Israel/Russia, 30
Szuyu Su, Taiwan/China, 27
Yutong Sun, China, 29
Kiron Atom Tellian, Austria, 22
Julian Trevelyan, United Kingdom, 26
Anastasia Vorotnaya, Russia, 30
Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
Arthur Wang, Canada, 24
Wynona Yinuo Wang, China, 28
Zitong Wang, China, 26
Xuanxiang Wu, China, 18
Yifan Wu, China, 20
Zihao Wu, China, 27
Ryota Yamazaki, Japan, 26
Jialin Yao, China, 26
Sung Ho Yoo, South Korea, 28
Yichen Yu, China, 22
Angie Zhang, United States, 29
Noah Zhou, United Kingdom, 24

“Following the vision of Van Cliburn, the Cliburn Competition serves two mandates: to consistently grow the international fanbase for classical music and to discover and support the greatest young pianists,” said Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO. “It is our job now to manage the selection process carefully, as our experts determine the 30 who will be invited back to Fort Worth in May for the seventeenth edition of this Competition. Through the performance of these inspiring young artists, the 2025 Cliburn Competition will be an extraordinary celebration of the beauty and power of music.”

DOWNLOADABLE PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS

• Cliburn Competition Select Photos
• 2025 Cliburn Competition – Applicant Infographics
• 2025 Cliburn Competition – Venues
• 2025 Cliburn Competition – Jury

1. April 9, 2025: Announcement of the 30 competitors.

2. May 18, 2025: Competitors return to Fort Worth for orientation and piano selection.

3. May 21–23, 2025: Preliminary Round—30 competitors (Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU)
30 competitors perform a 40-minute recital to include the commissioned work of 4-6 minutes in length, composed by Gabriela Montero.

4. May 24–25, 2025: Quarterfinal Round—18 competitors (Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU)
18 competitors perform a 40-minute recital.

5. May 28–June 1, 2025: Semifinal Round—12 competitors (Bass Performance Hall)
12 competitors in two phases:
1) Each competitor will perform a 60-minute recital.
2) Each competitor will perform a Mozart concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, selected from a list.

6. June 3–7, 2025: Final Round—6 competitors (Bass Performance Hall)
6 competitors perform two concertos with Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra:
1) Each competitor will perform one concerto selected from a list.
2) Each competitor will perform one concerto of the competitor’s choosing.

7. June 7, 2025: Awards Ceremony (Bass Performance Hall)—announcement of gold, silver, bronze medalists + special awards; cash prizes total $265,000; medalists also win career management packages worth a total of over $2 million.

Widely considered “one of the most prestigious contests in classical music” (The New York Times, 2022), the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition exists to share excellent classical music with the largest international audience possible and to launch the careers of its winners every four years. Building on a rich tradition that began with its 1962 origins in honor of Van Cliburn and his vision for using music to serve audiences and break down boundaries, the Cliburn seeks, with each edition, to achieve the highest artistic standards while utilizing contemporary tools to advance its reach. Beyond cash prizes, winning a Cliburn medal means comprehensive career management, artistic support, and bolstered publicity efforts for the three years following.

Visit cliburn.org/2025-competition to learn more about the 2025 Cliburn Competition.

COMPETITION JURY

• Paul Lewis, jury chairman (Ireland/United Kingdom)
• Rico Gulda (Austria)
• Mari Kodama (Japan/United States)
• Anne-Marie McDermott (United States)
• Gabriela Montero (Venezuela/United States)
• Jon Nakamatsu (United States)
• Lise de la Salle (France)
• Yevgeny Sudbin (United Kingdom)
• Wu Han (Taiwan/China/United States)

Visit cliburn.org/2025-competition-jury for more information about each jury.

TICKETS

There is nothing like hearing, seeing, and feeling live music in an energetic, packed concert hall. Add to that the unmatched exhilaration of being there to cheer on 30 of the world’s top emerging pianists as they strive to perform their best on an enormous world stage, in hopes of launching international careers. It’s been 63 years since the first notes of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition were played in Fort Worth, Texas. And the world will once again be attentively listening.

Premium and regular subscription packages, and all tickets for individual concerts, are on sale now.

Visit cliburn.org/2025-tickets for information on pricing, seating, and more.

LIVE BROADCAST

As it has been since 2001, the entire Cliburn Competition will be broadcast live for an international audience. The Cliburn will announce details in the coming months—this online event promises to be one of the most-watched in classical music history. The most recent edition in 2022 reached a record-breaking number of people around the globe, with more than 60 million views on Cliburn channels across 177 countries—and immeasurable viral reach beyond that.

The Cliburn advances classical piano music throughout the world. Its international competitions, education programs, and concert series embody an enduring commitment to artistic excellence and the discovery of new artists. Established in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (seventeenth edition, May 21–June 7, 2025) remains the most visible expression of that mission and is, as always, committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of emerging artists, ages 18–30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through fully produced webcasts and by providing comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Rounding out its mission, the Cliburn also produces the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival (fourth edition, June 2027) for exceptional 13- to 17-year-old pianists and the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition (ninth edition, June 2028) for outstanding non-professional pianists age 35 and older.

Over a four-year cycle, the Cliburn contributes to North Texas’ cultural landscape with over 170 classical music performances for 150,000 attendees through competitions, free community concerts, and its signature Cliburn Concerts series. Cliburn in the Classroom—the Cliburn’s music education program and recipient of D CEO Magazine’s 2024 Innovation in Education Award—presents 1,000 free, in-school, and interactive concert experiences for more than 200,000 area elementary students over a four-year cycle. During the same time period, the Cliburn garners the world’s attention with more than 60 million views from 177 nations for competition broadcasts; 300 concerts worldwide booked for competition winners; more than 10,000 news articles about the Cliburn and its winners; and regular national radio broadcasts to 245 public radio stations. cliburn.org

Official Piano of the Cliburn
Steinway & Sons – North Texas / Houston

Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall is a 1,000-person capacity venue located in an historic Mule Barn in the heart of the Stockyards Historic District. Combining the Western heritage of Fort Worth, a state-of-the-art concert hall, and Chef Tim Love’s award-winning food and drink, Tannahill’s redefines what it means to be in Cowtown.

From Tannahill’s: “We come from good stock. Located in Fort Worth’s National Historic District, the Stockyards offer an authentic glimpse of the American West. Come see why more than 3 million people visit each year to experience dining, shopping, and entertainment surrounded by the rich history of cowboys, cowgirls, and cattle culture.”

Visit tannahills.com to learn more.

The Carnival of the Animals
Saturday, September 14, 2024  I  11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Fort Worth Zoo (Outdoor Learning Theater)

Let your imagination go wild as playful musicians impersonate the animal kingdom—from a stately lion and an energetic kangaroo to crazy donkeys and much more. All of this in the frolicsome setting of the Fort Worth Zoo, whose Animal Ambassadors will make special appearances throughout! Join us this fall as two pianos, a flute, a clarinet, and strings bring Saint-Saëns’ humorous suite, The Carnival of the Animals, to life like never before.