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Sergey Tanin started piano lessons when he was 5 years old, and—though his parents were not musicians and never pushed him to practice—his commitment to the instrument grew quickly. By age 9, he had decided to be a pianist. Growing up in Yakutia in far Eastern Russia, a long way from major cities and the concerts they might offer, he drew inspiration from recordings by great artists, such as Argerich, Pletnev, Michelangeli, and Rubinstein. He was “taken by the power of music.”

Get a taste of the artistry and excitement of the upcoming 2025 Cliburn Competition! Bring your friends and family for a free concert featuring 2022 finalist Clayton Stephenson and the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band in this year's return of the Countdown to the Cliburn series.

In this concert, 2 of 12 competitors will each perform a 60-minute recital.

In this concert, 4 of 28 competitors will each perform a 40-minute recital, including the worldwide debut of the 2025 Cliburn commissioned work composed by Competition juror Gabriela Montero.

Pianist Gloria Chien has one of the most diverse musical lives as a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard, and she performed again with the BSO with Keith Lockhart. Gloria was subsequently selected by the The Boston Globe as one of its Superior Pianists of the year, “who appears to excel in everything.” In recent seasons, she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Dresden Chamber Music Festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2009, Gloria launched String Theory, a chamber music series in Chattanooga, Tennessee that has become one of the region’s premier classical music presenters. The following year she was appointed director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, a position she held for the next decade.

20 Grammy nominations and eight wins. A touring career that has taken him to every major venue and orchestra in the world. An Avery Fisher Prize.

With more than 15 years of award-winning Naïve recordings and international concert appearances, Lise de la Salle has established herself as a musician of real sensibility and maturity. Her playing inspired a Washington Post critic to write, “For much of the concert, the audience had to remember to breathe… the exhilaration didn’t let up for a second until her hands came off the keyboard.”

In this concert, 3 of 28 competitors will each perform a 40-minute recital, including the worldwide debut of the 2025 Cliburn commissioned work composed by Competition juror Gabriela Montero.

In this concert, 3 of 18 competitors will each perform a 40-minute recital.

Denis Linnik began his musical education in his hometown of Maryina Horka, Belarus, when he was 6. Just two years later, he moved to Minsk to study piano and live with other talented young musicians—he says being constantly surrounded by music made it a truly inseparable part of his life. His musical development advanced quickly over the next years, leading him to success in youth competitions and successful stints at the State Gymnasium-College of Arts “I.O. Akhremchik” and the Belarusian State Academy of Music.