Hilton Head International Piano Competition Names 2025 Finalists

Piotr Alexewicz, Jan Nikovich, and Jonathan Mamora will be performing for the $20,000 top prize

Founded in 1996, South Carolina’s Hilton Head International Piano Competition (HHIPC) is open to international pianists aged 18 to 30. This event alternates every three years with its young artist competition for pianists aged 13 to 17, and the BravoPiano! Festival, which showcases past prize winners and prominent keyboard artists. 

The 2025 HHIPC finalists are Jonathan Mamora (29) from the U.S., Piotr Alexewicz (24) from Poland, and Jan Nikovich (23) hailing from Croatia. 

They will each perform with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Morris Russell. The program will be Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. 

Awarded $20,000, the First Prize winner will also receive a recital at Carnegie Hall, a return engagement with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, a studio recording on the Steinway & Sons record label, and management services for up to three years provided by HHIPC Director Steven Shaiman.

More engagements include those with HHIPC’s Artistic Partners — the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, South Carolina Philharmonic, Savannah Music Festival, the College of Charleston International Piano Series, and the Green Lake Festival of Music. 

Second Prize is awarded with $10,000, and Third Prize is valued at $5,000. Semifinalists will be presented with $2,000 each. Additional prizes include the Best Performance of Commissioned Work and Most Promising non-finalist — each awarded with $1,000. 

The candidate selection panel comprised Alan Chow, Yong Hi Moon, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi. The 2025 jury comprises Simone Dinnerstein (Chair), Marina Lomazov, Haesun Paik, Peter Takács, Terrence Wilson, Amy Yang, and Wei-Yi Yang. 

To view the livestream of the final round, click here.