Texas’ Gurwitz International Piano Competition Names 2024 Winner

Chinese pianist Yungyung Guo has won the gold medal and a cash prize of $30,000

Founded in 1983, the Gurwitz International Piano Competition in San Antonio, Texas, is held every four years for international pianists aged between 20 and 32.

Chinese pianist Yungyung Guo has won first place with her rendition of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra.

Guo was also awarded a $2,500 Junior Jury Award, which was chosen by a group of exceptional local piano students aged 13 to 18 who sat alongside the competition jury during the first round of the competition.

The Silver Medal and $20,000 went to Tatiana Dorokhova of Russia, who also won the $5,000 Audience Favorite Award; the South Korean pianist Young Sun Choi won the $10,000 Bronze Medal and $5,000 for Best Performance of a Work by a Latin or Spanish Composer.

Each of the medalists will have the opportunity to perform within the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra’s next season, and Musical Bridges Around the World has also invited them to perform in local Texas areas in upcoming seasons. Dorn Music is also discussing plans to propel the medalists’ careers on the international level. 

In total, the competition’s 12 finalists and semi-finalists were selected from an initial pool of 76 candidates from around the world to perform live in Texas.

Of the semifinalists, Chinese pianist Zihao Wu, American pianist Rachel Breen, and Chi-Jo Lee of Taiwan were awarded $1,500 each. 

The contestant prizes of $1,000 each went to the Chinese pianists Yongqiu Liu, Zifan Ye, and Jialin Yao, and the American pianists Nathan Cheung and Min Joo Yi.

Chaired by Scott Yoo, the 2024 jury comprised Tanja Dorn, Michael Fine, Sergio Tiempo, Mikhail Voskresensky, and Lilya Zilberstein. The preliminary jury comprised Pasquale Iannone, Jiale Li, and Daria Rabotkina.

The finalist’s round can be viewed below.