Thirty world-class pianists from 17 different countries and regions will compete in the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, May 21-June 7, 2025.

The field of 30, announced on April 9, was culled from an initial pool of 340 applicants, the Cliburn says. Seventy-seven auditioned before a screening jury in Fort Worth in March.

“Fourteen of the world’s experts worked with dedication over the last few months to thoughtfully consider each of our 340 applicants and eventually narrow the field down to the 30 competitors who will return to Fort Worth in May,” says Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO, in a release. “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."

Of the 30 competitors, 25 are men and five are women. The competitors range in age from 18 to 30, with the average age at 25.

The most-represented countries are China (7), Russia (4), and United States (4). Other represented countries include Canada, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong China, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.

The 2025 Cliburn competitors (with links to their bios) are:

• Piotr Alexewicz, Poland, age 25
• Jonas Aumiller, Germany, 26
• Alice Burla, Canada, 28
• Yangrui Cai蔡阳睿, China, 24
• Elia Cecino, Italy, 23
• Yanjun Chen陈艳君, China, 23
• Jiarui Cheng程嘉睿, China, 26
• Federico Gad Crema, Italy, 26
• Shangru Du杜尚儒, China, 27
• Roman FediurkoРоманФедюрко, Ukraine, 20
• Magdalene Ho, Malaysia, 21
• Carter Johnson, Canada/United States, 28
• Xiaofu Ju鞠⼩夫, China, 25
• Mikhail KambarovМихаилКамбаров, Russia, 24
• David Khrikuli, Georgia, 24
• Pedro López Salas, Spain, 27
• Philipp LynovФилиппЛынов, Russia, 26
• Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
• Callum McLachlan, United Kingdom, 26
• Evren Ozel, United States, 26
• Chaeyoung Park박채, South Korea, 27
• Korkmaz Can Sağlam, Türkiye, 25
• Aristo Sham, Hong Kong China, 29
• Kotaro Shigemori重森光太郎, Japan, 25
• Vitaly StarikovВиталийСтариков, Israel/Russia, 30
• Anastasia Vorotnaya, Russia, 30
• Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
• Xuanxiang Wu, China, 18
• Ryota Yamazaki⼭﨑亮汰, Japan, 26
• Sung Ho Yoo유성호, South Korea, 28

After four rounds of competition, winners will be named on June 7 at Bass Performance Hall. At stake are gold, silver, and bronze medals and special awards; cash prizes totaling $265,000; and medalists win career management packages worth more than $2 million.

Subscription packages and all tickets for individual Cliburn Competition concerts are on sale now. The entire competition will also be live-streamed.

Yunchan Lim of South Korea won the 2022 Cliburn Competition. Photo courtesy of The Cliburn

Established in Fort Worth in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has been hailed by the New York Times as "one of the most prestigious contests in classical music." It is named for Texas pianist Van Cliburn, who won the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958. Cliburn's victory in Russia was considered a pivotal thaw in Cold War relations. He died in his adopted home town of Fort Worth in 2013.

The 2022 Cliburn Competition was won by Yunchan Lim, a then-18-year-old pianist from South Korea who has shot to global stardom since his triumph in Fort Worth.