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Born in Perth, Australia, Shuan Hern Lee started taking piano, vocal, music theory, and composition lessons with his father, Yoon Sen Lee, when he was 2½ years old. His childhood home was filled with music at all hours of the day, as both parents taught piano.

Born into a family of pianists in Riga, Latvia, Georgijs Osokins began his studies at the age of 5 with his father, Sergejs Osokins. After 12 years at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School, he studied with Sergei Babayan at The Juilliard School in 2015, then moved to Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf to study with Georg Friedrich Schenck. He finds “consistent development” to be the hallmark of a great musician: “only when an artist fully embraces his responsibility of being the linking element between the creator and the recipient, can he start to generate art himself.”

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French pianist Philippe Bianconi has been described as an artist whose playing is “always close to the soul of the music, filling the space with poetry and life,” (Washington Post) and who offers “an extraordinary exhibition of musicianship, technical control and good taste” (The London Times). Having appeared as a soloist with the world’s finest orchestras, Mr. Bianconi recently concluded his tenure as director of the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, a post he held between 2013–2017 that cemented his reputation as one of the most distinguished artists of his generation. He continues to teach at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau and joined the faculty of École Normale de Musique de Paris in fall 2018.

The announcement of the 6 finalists in the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, held following the conclusion of the Semifinal Round.

After Vitaly Starikov completed his studies at the Ural Special Music School in his native Yekaterinburg, his “dream came true” when he began studying with Vera Gornostayeva, one of the world’s most venerated teachers, at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. At that time, her student, Vadym Kholodenko, had just won the 2013 Cliburn Competition, which “greatly inspired” Vitaly: “and it was then that the thought was born to someday participate in this competition.”

Passionate about collaboration, pianist Michael Bukhman is active internationally as a chamber musician, adjudicator, and pedagogue. An award-winning pianist, he has been a top-prize winner and medalist in several international piano competitions.

Contact The Cliburn for general inquiries and access the staff directory.

The world’s critics have called performances by this year’s Cliburn Concerts artists “deeply resonant,” “probing,” and “captivating”—filled with “kinetic, forward-looking music,” “inspired musicianship—and more than a few surprises.” Come hear for yourself this season, with six gorgeously intimate performances in the Piano Pavilion of the Kimbell Art Museum and four captivating casual Cliburn Sessions concerts at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards.

The Cliburn's newest concert series, launching September 14, 2024, features magical, musical experiences for the whole family at the Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Stockyards Station, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s Omni Theater.