Semifinalists Announced at 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Tune in starting on May 28 to watch the Semifinal round LIVE on The Violin Channel

The Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is currently underway in Fort Worth, Texas.

After an exciting Quarterfinal Round, 12 pianists have advanced to the semifinals, which will be held from May 28 - June 1. Tune in here to watch the entire competition LIVE!

The twelve semifinalists are:

• Carter Johnson, Canada / United States, 28
• Aristo Sham, Hong Kong, China, 29
• Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
• Philipp Lynov, Russia, 26
• Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26
• Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, 25
• Yanjun Chen, China, 23
• Evren Ozel, United States, 26
• Chaeyoung Park, South Korea, 27
• Elia Cecino, Italy, 23
• Yangrui Cai, China, 24
• Vitaly Starikov, Israel / Russia, 30

12 competitors perform a 60-minute recital and a Mozart concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

The Final Round will see 6 competitors perform two concertos with Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

The gold medalist will receive $100,000, the silver medalist $50,000, and the bronze medalist $25,000. Medalists also receive three years of comprehensive personalized career management and concerts.

The jury comprises Paul Lewis (jury chairman), Rico Gulda, Mari Kodama, Anne-Marie McDermott, Gabriela Montero, Jon Nakamatsu, Lise de la Salle, Yevgeny Sudbin, and Wu Han.

Previous winners include Yunchan Lim, Haochen Zhang, Nobuyuki Tsujii, Olga Kern, Vadym Kholodenko, Yekwon Sunwoo, and Beatrice Rana.

The Violin Channel will be presenting in-depth coverage throughout the competition — including behind-the-scenes content, on-the-ground interviews, and livestreams of all rounds of the competition.