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Camille Thomas’ rich, yet elegant, sound and effortless virtuosity make her an audience favorite around the world—and bring her back for her second Cliburn Concerts appearance.

Yangrui Cai began his piano studies at age 4, though none of his family had any music- or art-related background. When he was 15, a first-place finish in the national auditions earned him a spot in China’s Xinghai Conservatory of Music Middle School. Upon his graduation with distinction in July 2019, the Hunan native was admitted to several prestigious conservatories in the United States with full scholarships. He is currently a third-year undergraduate student at Oberlin Conservatory, under the tutelage of 2001 Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch.

Program host Caleb De La Torre recently graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in acting. A native of South Texas, Caleb is currently based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is active in the local theater scene. He can be seen on stage at the Shakespeare Dallas, Amphibian Stage, and Theatre Arlington, and is a resident actor in the film production company Fluidity Films. The Mexican-American actor is dedicated to education and community engagement, and teaches bilingual theater workshops for students at Dallas Theater Center.

Marcel Tadokoro was born in Fukuoka, Japan, into a “literary family:” neither his French mother nor Japanese father are musicians. But he studied piano and had the opportunity to give a small public concert when he was 8; he says that was the moment he “immediately understood this would be my life.”

2025 Competition Artistic Collaborators

Join the Cliburn as we celebrate Lunar New Year!

Dallas Symphony Orchestra, artistic partner of the 2027 Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists

The 2025 Cliburn Competition will be broadcast live on Cliburn.org and the Cliburn’s YouTube channel, May 21–June 7.

2025 Cliburn Competitor Philipp Lynov

Pianist Igor Parshin graduated with the highest marks from the famous Gnessin State Musical College and Russian Academy of Music. In 2015, he received a scholarship to the TCU School of Music, where he completed his Artist Diploma. He also earned a Master of Music with Dr. Michael Bukhman, a fellow Cliburn in the Classroom artist.