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2027 Young Pianists Competition

Cliburn Internation Competition for Young Pianists

Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists

for pianists age 13 to 17  •  JUNE 10–19 2027  •  DALLAS, TEXAS USA 
SMU & Meyerson Symphony Center

The Fourth Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists, for artists age 13 to 17, takes place June 10-19, 2027, in Dallas, Texas. The Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds and festival events will take place on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), where participants will also reside. The Final Round will be held at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where six finalists will perform a concerto movement with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. 

Applications are now open! 

Talented pianists aged 13 to 17 are encouraged to apply by November 17, 2026. The Cliburn will invite 38 artists to participate as Piano Fellows; from this group, 24 pianists will be selected to compete for prizes. 

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2027 Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists

Key Dates

  • March 5, 2026 – Applications open

  • November 17, 2026 – Applications due

  • January 2027 – Tickets on sale

  • February 9, 2027 – Piano Fellows announced

  • June 10, 2027 – Competition begins

  • June 19, 2027 – Awards Ceremony

Artistic Partners

The Cliburn is proud to announce 20-year partnerships with SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which will cover the next five editions of the International Competition for Young Pianists. 

jury

Jury

The Cliburn proudly presents the jury for the Fourth Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists. 

Sa Chen (2005 Cliburn bronze medalist) will serve as jury chair for the 2027 Competition. A prizewinner at the International Chopin, Leeds, and Cliburn competitions, Ms. Chen has fostered an international touring career, recorded 11 albums, and served on several high-profile competition juries including the Chopin, Leeds, and Busoni.

The remainder of the jury comprises:

Kenny Broberg, USA (2017 Cliburn silver medalist)
Lucille Chung, Canada/USA
Alessandro Deljavan, Italy
Marie-Josèphe Jude, France
Alexander Korsantia, Georgia/USA
Alessandro Mazzamuto, Italy
Noriko Ogawa, Japan
Steven Osborne, Scotland

About the Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists

The Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists (formerly the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival) was established in 2015 as another means for the Cliburn to use its standing and expertise to encourage tomorrow’s great artists, to provide a valuable forum for them to express themselves, and to give them an entrance to the next step of their journeys. Key ingredients are top international jurors, the media and webcast, Final Round performances with orchestra, and fellowship program, which included performance experience and artistic workshops. The most recent edition (2023) drew 247 applications from 44 countries; live and on demand webcast views topped 2,000,000 with viewers in more than 170 countries.

SCENES FROM THE 2023 CLIBURN JUNIOR

Jan Schulmeister is announced as a finalist in the 2023 Cliburn Junior
Performance at the 2023 Junior
Yifan Wu backstage at the DSO during the 2023 Junior
2023 Junior artists
Janina Fialkowska teaches a masterclass at the 2023 Junior
Sight Reading at the 2023 Junior
Patrons at the 2023 Junior
Alyssa G at the 2023 Junior
Modan Oyama at the 2023 Junior
2023 Junior patrons

PAST CLIBURN JUNIOR AWARD WINNERS

THIRD COMPETITION

June 8–17, 2023
Caruth Auditorium at SMU & Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas, Texas USA

WINNERS

Bernice Gressman Meyerson First Prize
Seokyoung Hong 홍석영, 15, South Korea

Shirley Cox McIntyre Second Prize
Yifan Wu 吴一凡, 14, China

The Horchow Family Third Prize
Jan Schulmeister, 16, Czechia

Audience Award
Seokyoung Hong 홍석영, 15, South Korea

2022 Cliburn Junior Winners
2023 Cliburn Junior Winners: Yifan Wu (second); Seokyoung Hong (first); and Jan Schulmeister (third)


SECOND COMPETITION

May 31–June 8, 2019
Caruth Auditorium at SMU & Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas, Texas USA

WINNERS

Bernice Gressman Meyerson First Prize
Shuan Hern Lee, Australia, 16

Shirley Cox McIntyre Second Prize
Eva Gevorgyan, Russia/Armenia, 15

The Horchow Family Third Prize
JiWon Yang, South Korea, 17

Audience Award
Avery Gagliano, United States, 17

Peer Award
J J Jun Li Bui, Canada, 14

Press Award,
Eva Gevorgyan, Russia/Armenia, 15

2019 Cliburn Junior Winners
2019 Cliburn Junior Winners: JiWon Yang (third); Shuan Hern Lee (first); and Eva Gevorgyan (second)

 

FIRST COMPETITION

June 21–28, 2015 
PepsiCo Recital Hall and Ed Landreth Auditorium, TCU
Fort Worth, Texas USA

WINNERS

First Prize
Alim Beisembayev, Kazakhstan, 17

Second Prize
Arsenii Mun, Russia, 16

Third Prize
Youlan Ji, China, 16

Audience Award
Misha Galant, USA, 17

Best Performance of a Classical Sonata
Misha Galant, USA, 17

Best Performance of a Lyrical Work
Adam Balogh, Hungary, 17

Jury Discretionary Awards
Clayton Stephenson, USA, 16
Tony Yike Yang, Canada, 16

2015 Cliburn Junior Winners
2019 Cliburn Junior Winners: Arsenii Mun (second); Alim Beisembayev (first); and Youlan Ji (third) - with Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis
2019 Junior competitors before Finalist announcement

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