Finalists Announced for 2025 Cliburn Competition

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is widely considered “one of the most prestigious contests in classical music” (The New York Times, June 2022). From its origins in 1962 through today, it has remained dedicated to sharing music with the largest international audience possible and to launching the careers of its winners. This edition builds on that rich foundation and the historic success of the 2022 Competition—one of the most-watched classical events in history, with more than 60 million views across 177 countries. It also launched the meteoric career of Yunchan Lim, whose Cliburn laureate predecessors include Haochen Zhang, Nobuyuki Tsujii, Olga Kern, Vadym Kholodenko, Yekwon Sunwoo, and Beatrice Rana.

Quick facts about the 2025 Cliburn Competition are available below. Visit cliburn.org for more information.

COMPETITION JURY

• Paul Lewis, jury chairman (Ireland/United Kingdom)
• Till Fellner (Austria)
• Mari Kodama (Japan/United States)
• Anne-Marie McDermott (United States)
• Gabriela Montero (Venezuela/United States)
• Jon Nakamatsu (United States)
• Lise de la Salle (France)
• Yevgeny Sudbin (United Kingdom)
• Wu Han (Chinese Taipei/United States)

Learn more about the 2025 Cliburn jury.

PRIZES & AWARDS

All together, Competition prizes total more than $2 million in value. 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. Medalists also receive three years of comprehensive personalized career management and concerts.

COMPETITION TICKETS

There is nothing like being in the hall for a Cliburn Competition performance; add to that the unmatched exhilaration of being there to cheer on the world’s top emerging pianists as they strive to perform their best on an enormous world stage in hopes of launching international careers. It’s been 63 years since the first notes of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition were played in Fort Worth, Texas, and the world is once again attentively listening.

All tickets, including premium and regular subscription packages and for individual concerts, are available now.

Learn more about ticket packages, pricing, and seating.

LIVE BROADCAST

The Cliburn broadcast is the next best thing to being in the concert hall, with spectacular views that put you right on stage; high-quality sound so you don’t miss a nuance; insightful commentary from our experts—hosts Buddy Bray and Elizabeth Joy Roe, and our lead backstage host Greg Anderson—and fun behind-the-scenes access to the Competition and its warm hometown. Produced by New York-based Framework Productions, the 2025 live broadcast introduces several new features, including a keyboard hands-only camera and on-screen synced scores provided within 48 hours of each recital, powered by Weefeen. All content will be available for on-demand viewing. Enjoy three weeks of innovative artistry at cliburn.org, YouTube @TheCliburn, medici.tv, amadeus.tv (China), The Violin Channel, and WFAA+ (Dallas-Fort Worth).

ABOUT THE CLIBURN

The Cliburn advances classical piano music throughout the world. Its international competitions, education programs, and concert series embody an enduring commitment to artistic excellence and the discovery of new artists. Established in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (seventeenth edition, May 21–June 7, 2025) remains the most visible expression of that mission and is, as always, committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of emerging artists, ages 18–30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through fully produced webcasts and by providing comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Rounding out its mission, the Cliburn also produces the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival (fourth edition, June 2027) for exceptional 13- to 17-year-old pianists and the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition (ninth edition, June 2028) for outstanding non-professional pianists age 35 and older.

Over a four-year cycle, the Cliburn contributes to North Texas’ cultural landscape with over 170 classical music performances for 150,000 attendees through competitions, free community concerts, and its signature Cliburn Concerts series. Cliburn in the Classroom—the Cliburn’s music education program and recipient of D CEO Magazine’s 2024 Innovation in Education Award—presents 1,000 free, in-school, and interactive concert experiences for more than 200,000 area elementary students over a four-year cycle. During the same time period, the Cliburn garners the world’s attention with more than 60 million views from 177 nations for competition webcasts; 300 concerts worldwide booked for competition winners; more than 10,000 news articles about the Cliburn and its winners; and regular national radio broadcasts to 245 public radio stations. cliburn.org

Official Piano of the Cliburn
Steinway & Sons – North Texas / Houston

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