Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Announces 30 Competitors

30 pianists will arrive in Texas this coming May to compete for the $100,000 first prize

Taking place from May 21 – June 7, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas, The Cliburn announced the 30 competitors selected to participate in the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Open to pianists of all nationalities, the competition was started in 1962 in honor of American pianist Van Cliburn and his vision for using music to break down boundaries.

The selected competitors are aged 18 to 30 and represent 17 countries and regions. They are:

• Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, age 25
• Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26
• Alice Burla, Canada, 28
• Yangrui Cai, China, 24
• Elia Cecino, Italy, 23
• Yanjun Chen, China, 23
• Jiarui Cheng, China, 26
• Federico Gad Crema, Italy, 26
• Shangru Du, China, 27
• Roman Fediurko, Ukraine, 20
• Magdalene Ho, Malaysia, 21
• Carter Johnson, Canada/United States, 28
• Xiaofu Ju, China, 25
• Mikhail Kambarov, Russia, 24
• David Khrikuli, Georgia, 24
• Pedro López Salas, Spain, 27
• Philipp Lynov, Russia, 26
• Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
• Callum McLachlan, United Kingdom, 26
• Evren Ozel, United States, 26
• Chaeyoung Park, South Korea, 27
• Korkmaz Can Sağlam, Türkiye, 25
• Aristo Sham, Hong Kong China, 29
• Kotaro Shigemori, Japan, 25
• Vitaly Starikov, Israel/Russia, 30
• Anastasia Vorotnaya, Russia, 30
• Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
• Xuanxiang Wu, China, 18
• Ryota Yamazaki, Japan, 26
• Sung Ho Yoo, South Korea, 28

To learn more about each pianist, click here.

These competitors will compete in the Preliminary Round, performing a 40-minute recital that includes the commissioned work by Gabriela Montero.

The Quarterfinal Round will narrow it down to 18 competitors, the Semifinal Round will include 12 pianists, and 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 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.

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

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

“Fourteen of the world’s experts worked with dedication over the last few months to thoughtfully 1 of 7 consider each of our 340 applicants and eventually narrow the field down to the 30 competitors who will return to Fort Worth in May,” said Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO. “And they did a wonderful job. As usual, we were impressed with the high level of playing, craft, engagement, enthusiasm, and commitment of each of these pianists. The Cliburn is honored to provide an international platform for them to express their musical vision and to help usher them into the next steps of their professional journeys.”