The 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition runs through June 7. The Fort Worth Report will provide in-depth coverage of the competition. Follow the score here.
Over the past week and a half, 28 pianists in the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition have played their hearts out in hopes of securing the top prize.
Round after round, the number of competitors has dwindled. Now, only a few remain.
The Cliburn’s expert jury has selected the six players advancing to the final round of its competition in downtown Fort Worth June 3-7:
Angel Stanislav Wang, United States, 22
Carter Johnson, Canada/United States, 28
Vitaly Starikov, Israel/Russia, 30
Evren Ozel, United States, 26
Aristo Sham, Hong Kong, China, 29
Philipp Lynov, Russia, 26
The semifinal round kicked off May 28 at Bass Performance Hall with 12 pianists each performing a 60-minute recital and a Mozart concerto with Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Jury chairman Paul Lewis commended the performances before announcing the finalists June 1.
“The way you’ve all carried it off is so impressive and one can only have the most colossal respect for all of you,” he said at Bass Performance Hall.
The final six pianists will each return to the downtown venue to perform two concertos — one free choice and one from a preapproved list — with American conductor Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth orchestra.
The three pianists that medal will have their careers managed through the Cliburn for three years, including a range of services from booking concerts to mentorship and media training. A total of $265,000 in cash will be awarded, including $100,000 for the gold medalist, $50,000 for the silver medalist and $25,000 for the bronze medalist. A grand finale celebration will be held at Sundance Square Plaza June 7.
Jon Nakamatsu, a former Cliburn gold medalist and 2025 competition juror, said the jury is going into the final round ready to closely analyze every pianist’s consistency, repertoire management, artistry and ability to work with orchestras.
Before the June 1 performances, he told the Report, “We’re looking for somebody who is ready to perform concerts on a wide scale today, not someone who has the promise to develop in five years or who has the most potential in the future,” he said. “This is really an important phase of the competition.”
Learn more about the final six pianists below:
Angel Stanislav Wang – United States
Angel Stanislav Wang, 22, was born into a family of pianists in Los Angeles, California. His mother, who was originally from Russia, moved Wang to her native Moscow in 2013 to attend the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. He joined the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2020, where he continues to study.
He has won more than 35 international competitions, according to the Cliburn.
Carter Johnson – Canada, United States
Carter Johnson, 28, was encouraged to pursue piano by his grandmother when he was 5. He completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia and later moved to the U.S. in 2019 to study at Juilliard. He’s currently attending the Yale School of Music.
He secured the silver medal at the 2024 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and took home the gold at the 2025 Dublin International Piano Competition in early May.
Vitaly Starikov – Israel, Russia
Vitaly Starikov, 30, was born into a family of musicians. He made his concerto debut at the age of 10 with the Ural State Russian Folk Orchestra before making his recital debut three years later. He went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He’s currently attending the Yale School of Music.
He has won accolades for his performances at several international piano competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth, International Piano Competition Prize Jaén and Sergei Taneyev.
Evren Ozel – United States
When Evren Ozel, 26, was asked if he wanted to take piano lessons at the age of 3, he said yes. After competing in his first international competition at 14, he decided to pursue music professionally. He has been at the New England Conservatory of Music since 2017. He’s part of the NEC Institute for Concert Artists.
He has received high honors at the Cleveland, Dublin and Cooper international piano competitions.
Aristo Sham – Hong Kong, China
Aristo Sham, 29, began taking piano lessons when he was 3. He began competing and performing in concerts at age 10. He studied at Harvard University in 2019 and received his master’s at New England Conservatory in Boston in 2020. He later went to the Ingesund School of Music in Sweden before returning to the U.S. to earn an artist diploma at The Juilliard School.
He has previously secured first-prize wins at the Ettlingen, Gina Bachauer, and Monte Carlo Piano Masters international competitions.
Philipp Lynov – Russia
Philipp Lynov, 26, was first introduced to a piano when he was in kindergarten. He started learning at age 6 then earned a spot at the Central Music School at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory at 14. He’s studied at the Cologne University of Music in Germany since 2022.
He has secured the top prize at the Xiamen, Takamatsu and Paderewski international competitions.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @davidmreports.
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