Past Winners

First Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Ralph Votapek, USA

Ralph Votapek
Ralph Votapek has made hundreds of appearances with major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, and leading orchestras in St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Louisville, and elsewhere. Concerto appearances abroad range from London, Lisbon, St. Petersburg, and into the Far East. Mr. Votapek has performed as a solo recitalist throughout four continents, and he made a special commitment to Latin America, where he has toured every other year for more than 42 years. Guest appearances with the Juilliard, Fine Arts, New World, and Chester String Quartets are highlights of his chamber music experience. Mr. Votapek was the soloist on Arthur Fiedler’s last Boston Pops recording—a Gershwin program released on CD by London Records, and most recently available as part of the Deutsche Grammophon CD titled The Arthur Fiedler Legacy. In recent years he has recorded prolifically for the Ivory Classics and Blue Griffin labels.
www.ralphvotapek.com

(2nd) - Nikolai Petrov, USSR

Nikolai Petrov
Nikolai Petrov has appeared with every major international orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, Washington National Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and Royal Philharmonic, among others. He collaborated with esteemed conductors including Mariss Jansons, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Svetlanov, and Yuri Temirkanov. A highly-decorated artist, Mr. Petrov’s many awards included the Grande Médaille d’Or of the Académie Balzac and the Russian State Prize. He was named “People’s Artist of the USSR” in 1991, “Musician of the Year” and “State Prize Laureate” in 1996, and in 2003, received “Commander Orders for Merit” from the Russian government. Mr. Petrov founded the Russian Academy of Art in 1995, and established the Nikolai Petrov International Philanthropic Foundation in 2008. From 2001 to 2004, he served as a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Arts. Based in Moscow, he held a professorship in piano at the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Petrov passed away in Moscow in 2011.

(3rd) - Mikhail Voskresensky, USSR

Mikhail Voskresensky
In 1966, Mikhail Voskresensky was honored with the Merited Artist of Russia award and in 1989 the People’s Artist of Russia. He has performed with more than 150 conductors in almost all the European countries as well as in Japan, Korea, China, Australia, the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Peru. His colleagues in chamber music have included the Borodin Quartet, Shostakovich Quartet, and Tokyo Quartet. He has recorded more than 50 CDs, among them all 27 concertos by Mozart; Liszt’s Sonata B Minor; the complete nocturnes, preludes, and sonatas by Chopin; and the complete sonatas and etudes by Scriabin, among others. Mr. Voskresensky is a distinguished professor at the Moscow Conservatory and chair of the piano faculty. As a competition juror, he has served in Sydney, London, Leeds, Geneva, Hamamatsu, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, and many other cities. He was a jury member of the last Tchaikovsky Competition and is the chairman of Scriabin International Competition in Moscow.

(4th) - Cécile Ousset, France

Cécile Ousset
Cécile Ousset has performed throughout the world and recorded a vast repertoire including concertos of Brahms, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Poulenc under the distinguished direction of Kurt Masur, Simon Rattle, and Sir Neville Marriner, among others. She won the coveted Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros for her recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with Kurt Masur, and is particularly noted for her recordings of Ravel, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy. Ms. Ousset taught many master classes in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the Far East. She is a frequent adjudicator for major competitions such as the Cliburn, Rubinstein, Leeds, and the Queen Elisabeth. Ms. Ousset is Honorary Patron of the Yaltah Menuhin Memorial Fund. She retired from public performances in December 2006.

(5th) - Marilyn Neeley, USA

Marilyn Neeley
Marilyn Neeley appeared as a soloist with Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore Symphonies, among others. Her recital schedule took her to Moscow, Seoul, Zurich, and New York. An avid chamber musician, she was a member of the Rome Trio, and for many years also appeared in duo concerts with her husband, violinist Robert Gerle. In 1970, they recorded the complete Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano for public television, which received a special Emmy Award®. Ms. Neeley interrupted her concert career in the mid-1960s to teach, with appointments at the Boylan-Haven-Mather Academy, Ohio State University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Florida State University, as artist-in-residence at the Cairo Conservatory of Music, and finally the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she directed the piano and chamber music programs. Ms. Neeley passed away in May 2007.

(6th) - Sergio Varella-Cid, Portugal

Sergio Varella-Cid
Following his competition success, Sérgio Varella-Cid appeared in various European centers, Africa, and the Far East. In the late 1970s, Mr. Varello-Cid relocated to Brazil. Mr. Varella-Cid is remembered through the few recordings he produced during his career which include works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Chopin.

(7th) - Arthur C. Fennimore, USA

(8th) - Takashi Hironaka, Japan

Takashi Hironaka
Takashi Hironaka is regularly invited to perform in recital, as soloist, and as partner to violinist Naoko Kubo in Russia and throughout Europe. He recently gave recitals in the Sainokuni Saitama Art Theater’s Pianist 100 series and at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. He plays with all the major Japanese orchestras, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra and New Japan Philharmonic under distinguished conductors such as Seiji Ozawa. A keen chamber musician, he often performs with the Kiri Quintet. Mr. Hironaka has served on the juries of various important piano competitions including the Casadesus International Piano Competition in France. He is a professor at the the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music.

(Finalist) - Hiroko Nakamura*, Japan

Hiroko Nakamura*
Hiroko Nakamura has given more than 3,000 concerts and made over 40 recordings in her career. She has sat on the juries of major piano competitions in the world, including the Chopin in Poland, Tchaikovsky in Russia, Rubinstein in Israel, Busoni in Italy, and serves as the chairperson of the jury of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition and as the Music Director of the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy. Nakamura is a nonfiction writer, critic and television personality. Her first book, The Tchaikovsky Competition written about her experiences on the juries at the 1982 and 1986 Tchaikovsky Competitions in Moscow, won the 20th Ohya Non-Fiction Prize, a Japanese equivalent to the prestigious American Pulitzer Prize, and sold over a quarter of a million copies.

Second Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Radu Lupu, Rumania

Radu Lupu
Radu Lupu regularly performs as soloist and recitalist in the musical capitals and major festivals of Europe and the United States. He has appeared many times with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics and is a frequent guest artist at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and all of the major London orchestras. Radu Lupu’s first major American appearances were in 1972 with The Cleveland Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in New York and with the Chicago Symphony led by Carlo Maria Giulini. Concerts with the New York Philharmonic soon followed, and Mr. Lupu has since appeared with all of the foremost American orchestras. Mr. Lupu has made more than 20 recordings for London/Decca. In 1989, and again in 2006, he was awarded the prestigious “Abbiati” prize given by the Italian Critics’ Association. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli award.

(2nd) - Barry Lee Snyder, USA

Barry Lee Snyder
Barry Snyder has appeared as a soloist with the symphonies of Detroit, Houston, Atlanta, Singapore, and Montreal; the National Symphony Orchestra; the Krakow Radio/TV Orchestra; and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. He has collaborated with Ani Kavafian, Herman Prey, Sylvia Rosenberg, Paul Tobias, Joyce Castle, Ida Levin, and with the Cleveland, Curtis, Purcell, and Composer’s Quartets, among others. Mr. Synder has performed and given master classes throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Mr. Snyder’s discography includes 32 solo, concert, and chamber recordings. He has been a member of the Eastman Meadowmountain Trios. He was awarded the Diapason D’or for his recordings of the complete cello and piano works of Fauré with Steven Doane as well as the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Teaching Excellence. He currently serves as professor of piano at the Eastman School of Music.

(3rd) - Blanca Uribe, Colombia

Blanca Uribe
Blanca Uribe enjoys a busy career as recitalist and soloist in Europe, South America, and the United States. As a chamber musician, she has appeared with the Chicago, Orion, and Brentano String Quartets, with Ani and Ida Kavafian, and with the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. Her honors include the General Francisco de Paula Santander Medal, for outstanding contribution to Colombian Culture; the Order of Saint Charles, which she received in 1986, from the President of Colombia; and an Honorary Doctorate from the Valle University in Colombia. She was also recipient of the First Dutchess County Artist Award. Blanca Uribe has served on the juries of a number of international competitions including the Busoni, AXA, Honens, Paloma O’Shea, Cleveland, and the Beethoven in Vienna. She will serve on the Cliburn Competition jury in 2013. She is currently professor of piano at Eafit University in Medellin, Colombia.

(4th) - Maria Luisa Lopez-Vito, Philippines

Maria Luisa Lopez-Vito

recently edited piano works for the noted German philosopher and composer, Theodor W. Adorno for Richard Boorberg Publishers in Munich • performances in Germany and the Philippines • establishing a piano school for disadvantaged children in the Philippines

(5th) - Rudolf Buchbinder, Austria

Rudolf Buchbinder
Rudolf Buchbinder is a regular guest of such renowned orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, London Philharmonic, National Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has collaborated with the world’s most distinguished conductors and is a frequent guest at the Salzburger Festspiele and other major festivals around the world. Mr. Buchbinder has over 100 recordings to his credit, including the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas, the complete Beethoven concertos, the complete Mozart piano concertos, all of Haydn’s works for piano, both Brahms concertos, and all of the rarely performed Diabelli Variations collection written by 50 Austrian composers. Mr. Buchbinder is the founding artistic director of the Grafenegg Music Festival.
www.buchbinder.net

(6th) - Benedikt Kohlen, W. Germany

Third Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Cristina Ortiz, Brazil

Cristina Ortiz
Throughout her extensive career, Cristina Ortiz has performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among many others. She has recently worked with the Sydney Symphony, The Philadelphia, NHK Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestras; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Orquesta de Valencia; the St. Petersburg and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras; and the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra in a tour across South America. Recital tours have taken her across North and South America, Europe, and Africa. She has recorded nearly 30 albums on EMI Classics, Decca, Collins Classics, Intrada, Naxos, and BIS. Between recitals and concerto performances, Ms. Ortiz is a passionate and committed teacher, giving master classes and private lessons worldwide.
www.cristina.ortiz.name

(2nd) - Minoru Nojima, Japan

Minoru Nojima
Minoru Nojima has performed with major orchestras and given recitals and chamber music performances throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. In Japan, he continues to perform with the country’s major orchestras in domestic subscription performances as well as to collaborate with American and European orchestras and conductors as a soloist on overseas tours. Mr. Nojima has served several times as an adjudicator for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, and others, and in 2006, the Minoru Nojima Yokosuka Piano Competition was established for gifted young Japanese pianists. He has been Chairperson for the Sendai International Music Competition since its inception. Mr. Nojima is currently president of the Tokyo College of Music and professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music.

(3rd) - Mark Westcott, USA

Mark Westcott
Mark Westcott was the only young pianist to be awarded subscription concerts with the Chicago Symphony from audition. Following this success with conductor Sir Georg Solti, tours throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Japan followed. In this period he recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and during a six-week tour of Australia, played nine consecutive concerto performances in the famed Sydney Opera House as well as a nationally televised Australian premier of the Barber Piano Concerto. In the early 1990s, after the successful rehabilitation of an injury to his left arm, Mr. Westcott began nearly a decade-long battle with cancer. During that time he wrote Playing With Love (working title), a reflection on his career and cancer battle. He now lives and teaches in Portland.
www.markwestcottpianist.com

(4th) - Gerald Robbins, USA

Gerald Robbins
Pianist Gerald Robbins has performed in virtually every major music center, including New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bonn, Munich, Athens, Frankfurt, Belgrade, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Tokyo. He has appeared with many major orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber, City of Birmingham Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, and New York Virtuosi Chamber Orchestras. In addition to his solo activities, Mr. Robbins has collaborated with many noted performers and is a founding member of the Lyric Piano Quartet. Mr. Robbins is also a conductor. He co-founded the Westside Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles, presently called the Beverly Hills Symphony, and is a co-founder of the London Concertante. Mr. Robbins has recorded for the London/Decca, Orion, Genesis, Cala, 4Tay, and Black Box labels.

(5th) - Diane Walsh, USA

Diane Walsh
Diane Walsh has appeared with the American, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Austin, Delaware, and Syracuse Symphonies, and the Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Berlin Radio Symphonies. She toured the United States with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, toured Europe with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and was soloist with orchestras in Brazil, The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Russia. Her recitals include engagements in many of the world’s most prestigious venues. In 2009, she performed Beethoven’s Variations on a Waltz of Diabelli in 113 performances of the Broadway production of Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations. She was also the pianist in three other productions of the play and was music editor of its script. Ms. Walsh has made 16 recordings and has served on the juries of national and international piano competitions. Ms. Walsh is a Steinway Artist and has been a member of the piano faculty of Mannes College in New York since 1982.
www.dianewalsh.com

(6th) - Michiko Fujinuma, Japan

Michiko Fujinuma
Michiko (Fujinama) Okamoto has been invited to the Spring of Prague Festival, Aspen Summer Music Festival, and venues across Japan. She has performed with the Yomiuri Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, among others. Ms. Okamoto is a sought-after professor at Toho Gakuen University School of Music. She regularly conducts master classes and is invited to serve on the juries of international piano competitions.

Fourth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Vladimir Viardo, USSR

Vladimir Viardo
Early in an impressive global career, Vladimir Viardo’s travel visa was mysteriously revoked, and he was detained behind the Iron Curtain for 13 years. When Mr. Viardo was finally permitted to accept engagements in Europe and the United States in the late 1980s, his international career resumed with several concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, Salle Pleyel, and the Concertgebouw. His tours have also taken him to leading American, Canadian, and European cities, to Asia and South Africa, as well as to Israel and Central and South America. He has made numerous recordings for Melodiya in Russia and Pro Arte and Nonesuch in the United States. He joined the University of North Texas College of Music faculty as artist-in-residence in 1989k and his name appears in the book The Most Wanted Piano Teachers in the USA.

(2nd) - Christian Zacharias, W. Germany

Christian Zacharias
Christian Zacharias made his name first as a pianist and continues to appear in concerto and recital worldwide. Since 2000, he has been principle conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. He has also been principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since the 2002-03 season, and in 2009, he became an artistic partner of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He enjoys long-term relationships with many other orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Scottish Chamber. Most recently he has embarked on an operatic career with productions of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito and Le Nozze di Figaro as well as Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène. Mr. Zacharias’s many awards include the 2007 Midem Classical Award “Artist of the Year” in Cannes, an award for his services to the culture in Rumania in 2009, and the highly honorable title of “Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French state.
www.christianzacharias.com

(3rd) - Michael Houstoun, New Zealand

Michael Houstoun
Based in New Zealand, Michael Houstoun performs also in Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. A strong advocate of New Zealand music, he regularly features works by composers from Douglas Lilburn to John Psathas in his programs. In 1996, he collaborated with television producer Tainui Stephens on a documentary about Franz Liszt, Icon in B Minor, and in 2005, was the subject of another documentary, Piano Man. Mr. Houstoun frequently adjudicates music competitions in New Zealand. He is patron of the Nelson School of Music, the Regent on Broadway Theatre in Palmerston North, the New Zealand Music Examinations Board, and the Kerikeri National Piano Competition. He won the Turnovsky Prize in 1982, and in 1999, received an honorary doctorate in literature from Massey University.
www.michaelhoustoun.co.nz

(4th) - Alberto Reyes, Uruguay

Alberto Reyes
Alberto Reyes made successful tours in the 1970s in the United States—where he made his orchestral debut under the baton of Aaron Copland—Canada, the Soviet Union, and South America. In 1971, Mr. Reyes was appointed to the piano faculty at Indiana University. In 1976, Mr. Reyes made a startling career change, and trained as a simultaneous interpreter. For 31 years, until his retirement in 2007, Mr. Reyes worked as an interpreter in the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly in New York City. During those three decades, Mr. Reyes limited his infrequent concert appearances to New York City. After his retirement from the U.N., Mr. Reyes returned to his professional activities as a pianist, recording a double CD of music by Chopin in 2009 followed by an all-Schumann disc in 2010, both on VAI.
www.albertoreyes.com

(5th) - Evgeny Koroliev, USSR

Evgeny Koroliev
Evgeny Koroliov has performed at a great number of venues, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, Herkulessaal in Munich, Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, and Teatro Olimpico in Rome, and has given guest performances at numerous festivals. Recent highlights include recitals throughout Germany and in Moscow, Budapest, Luxemburg, Brussels, Lyon, Milan, and Turin, as well as a concert tour in Japan. A passionate chamber musician, Mr. Koroliov plays with colleagues such as Natalia Gutman, Mischa Maisky, and the Auryn, Keller, and Prazák Quartets. As a piano duo he often performs with his wife Ljupka Hadzigeorgieva. Mr. Koroliov has recorded for Tacet, Hänssler, Classic, Profil, and the label of the Hessischer Rundfunk. His recital of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at the Bachfest Leipzig 2008 was recorded by EuroArts for a DVD and NHK Tokyo for TV transmission.

(6th) - Krassimir Gatev, Bulgaria

Krassimir Gatev
Krassimir Gatev appeared worldwide in recital appearances and performed with orchestras in Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Canada, and the United States. He logged over 200 hours of recordings for radio and television broadcast. He also recorded nine albums of the works of Brahms, Franck, Scriabin, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Vladigerov for the Cheri and Balkanton labels. Mr. Gatev served as a professor of piano at the Pancho Vladigerov School of the National Academy of Music in Bulgaria until his death in 2008.

Fifth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Steven DeGroote, South Africa

Steven DeGroote
After winning the Cliburn, Steven De Groote’s career took him all over the world. In the United States, he performed with orchestras such as the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and The Philadelphia Orchestras; in Canada, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra; in Europe, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Warsaw Philharmonic, and nearly all the major British orchestras. He worked with such distinguished conductors as Hans Graf, Ger Albrecth, Edo de Waart, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel, Eugene Ormandy, and Antoni Wit. An accomplished chamber musician, he regularly partnered with leading chamber ensembles such as the Guarneri Quartet and the Chilingirian Quartet. Mr. De Groote divided his time between performing and teaching when he joined the faculty of Arizona State University in 1981, and then as artist-in-residence at Texas Christian University from 1987 until his death in 1989.

(2nd) - Alexander Toradze, USSR

Alexander Toradze
Alexander Toradze makes frequent appearances with the leading orchestras of North America, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and National Symphony of Washington D.C. Overseas, he appears regularly with the Mariinsky Orchestra, La Scala Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, Israel Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Italy. Mr. Toradze regularly participates in summer music festivals including Salzburg, the White Nights in St. Petersburg, London’s BBC Proms, Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Mikkeli, the Hollywood Bowl, Saratoga, and Ravinia. In 1991, he was appointed as the Martin Endowed Chair Professor of Piano at Indiana University South Bend.

(3rd) - Jeffrey Swann, USA

Jeffrey Swann
Jeffrey Swann enjoys an international performing career which has taken him throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. In addition to presenting lecture/recitals worldwide, Mr. Swann has performed with the symphonies of Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Indiana, Dallas, St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, and Minneapolis; and in Europe with the orchestras of Rotterdam, The Hague, Belgian National and Radio, Santa Cecilia, La Scala, Maggio Fiorentino, RAI Turin and Rome, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Prague Philharmonic, Radio France de Montpellier, and London Philharmonia, among many others. He continues to lecture regularly at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany, and at Wagner Societies in the United States and Italy. Mr. Swann has also served as a judge at many competitions. Mr. Swann has been artistic director of the Dino Ciani Festival & Academy in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy since 2007, the Adel artist-in-residence at Northern Arizona University since 2008, and professor of piano at New York University since 2010.

(4th) - Michel Dalberto, France

Michel Dalberto
Michel Dalberto has performed with the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de France, Montreal Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia, Wiener Symphoniker, RSO Frankfurt, and Oslo Philharmonic. He has also been a guest artist of festivals such as Lucerne, Florence, Aix-en-Provence, Vienna, Edinburgh, Schleswig-Holstein, and La Roque d’Antheron, and has made no less than 15 visits to Japan. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Lynn Harrell, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Dmitri Sitkovetsky, Vadim Repin, Yuri Beshmet, Jessye Norman, Barbara Hendriks, and Stephan Gerz. Since 1991, he has served as chairman of the jury of the Clara Haskil Competition, which takes place in Vevey, Switzerland every two years. In 2005, he joined the faculty at Imola’s Accademia Pianistica. Mr. Dalberto was awarded the Knight of the Ordre National du Mérite by the French government in 1996.
www.micheldalberto.com

(4th) - Christian Blackshaw, England

Christian Blackshaw
Christian Blackshaw has performed with many leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and RAI Torino. Conductors with whom he has collaborated include Sir Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev, Gianandrea Noseda, Yuri Temirkanov, and Sir Neville Marriner. He has given chamber concerts in London with the principals of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and festival engagements have taken him to Stars of the White Nights in St. Petersburg, BBC Proms, Britain in Greece Festival in Athens, and to the cities of Prague, Dubrovnik, Helsinki, Stresa, and Snape. www.christianblackshaw.com

(5th) - Ian Hobson, England

Ian Hobson
Major orchestras with which Ian Hobson has appeared include the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Scottish National, Royal Liverpool, Hallé, Das Orchester der Beethovenhalle, Israel Sinfonietta, New Zealand Symphony, and the orchestras of Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Houston. Mr. Hobson is in increasing demand as a conductor, particularly for performances in which he doubles as piano soloist. He has led the English Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony, and Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra of Israel, as well as his own Sinfonia da Camera. He has made recording on his own label, Zephyr Records, as well as for Arabesque Recordings, Albany Troy, Hyperion and BMG’s Catalyst label.
www.ianhobson.net

(5th) - Alexander Mdoyants, USSR

Alexander Mdoyants
A dedicated educator, Alexander Mdoyants began his teaching career at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory in 1979. Since 2002, he has also held a teaching position at the State Classical University. He gives master classes and workshops regularly throughout Russia and the former Soviet republics, and in Brazil, Portugal, Finland, France, Japan, Israel, and Taiwan.

Sixth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - André-Michel Schub, USA

André-Michel Schub
André-Michel Schub has repeatedly performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras, among them the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, Detroit Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, and Bournemouth Symphony. Since 1997, he has been music director of the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Music series, planning its chamber music programming and performing on a number of programs each year. In 2010, he was appointed artistic director of the Saratoga Performing Arts Chamber Music Festival. He is also currently an artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Schub’s recordings, for Vox Cum Laude, Piano Disc, and CBS Masterworks (now SONY Classical), include works of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Liszt. He has been on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music College since 2006.

(2nd) - Santiago Rodriguez, USA

Santiago Rodriguez
Santiago Rodriguez has performed internationally with leading orchestras, including the London Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Weimar Philharmonic, Yomiuri-Nippon Symphony Orchestra of Japan, Berliner Symphoniker, and the Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Seattle, Indianapolis, American Composers, Houston, and National Symphony Orchestras. He has appeared in recital in the world’s most illustrious halls. As a chamber musician, Mr. Rodriguez has enjoyed collaborations with the Guarneri String Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Rodriguez’s recordings of repertoire from Bach to Ginastera are available on Élan. He has also been featured numerous times on the ABC, NBC, PBS, CNN, BBC, and CBC television networks. Mr. Rodriguez is currently professor and artist-in-residence at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami.
www.santiagorodriguez.net

(2nd) - Panayis Lyras, USA

Panayis Lyras
A native of Greece, Panayis Lyras has performed solo recitals in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and many other cities across North America, including Boston, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. His orchestral engagements have included performances with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras, the Boston Pops, and the San Francisco, Dallas, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Nashville, and Utah Symphonies. Internationally, Mr. Lyras has performed in England, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, and Uruguay. He is professor of piano and artist-in-residence at the Michigan State University College of Music.

(4th) - Jeffrey Kahane, USA

Jeffrey Kahane
Since making his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983, Jeffrey Kahane has given recitals in many of the nation’s major music centers including New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. He appears as soloist with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and is also a popular figure at all of the major U.S. summer festivals. Mr. Kahane is equally well-known for his collaborations with artists and chamber ensembles such as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Joshua Bell, Thomas Quasthoff, and the Emerson and Takács Quartets. Mr. Kahane made his conducting debut at the Oregon Bach Festival in 1988. Since then he has guest conducted orchestras such as the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Dallas, and New World Symphonies, among others. He currently serves as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

(5th) - Christopher O'Riley, USA

Christopher O'Riley
From his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake to his interpretations of the classical canon, pianist Christopher O’Riley has stretched the piano beyond conventional boundaries. He has taken his vision to both traditional classical music venues, as well as to entirely new audiences on the radio, at universities, and even clubs. He has toured the United States with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and appeared with the philharmonic orchestras of Los Angeles, New York, Moscow, and the Royal in London; the Minnesota Orchestra; and the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. He has released four recordings of his transcriptions of Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake. As host of the classical music radio show, National Public Radio’s From The Top, Mr. O’Riley works and performs with the next generation of brilliant young musicians.
www.christopheroriley.com

(6th) - Daming Zhu, People's Republic of China

Daming Zhu
Daming Zhu has performed to critical acclaim throughout the Far East, Europe, and North America. He has appeared as recitalist as well as soloist with many orchestras including The Juilliard Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, National Symphony of R.O.C. in Taiwan, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, San Jose Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and China Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Zhu has made numerous television and radio appearances in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Belgium, Germany, and the United States. He also joined pianist Murray Perahia, violinist Nigel Kennedy, and others in an ongoing project by PBS to record recitals by leading musicians for national airing. He frequently gives master classes in universities and colleges around the world and serves as a jury member of many international piano competitions. Now on the piano faculty of Soochow University, Daming Zhu’s students have been prize winner in renowned international piano competitions.

Seventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - José Feghali, Brazil

José Feghali
José Feghali has been artist-in-residence at TCU’s School of Music since 1990. He has appeared in over 1,000 performances worldwide, including appearances with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Gewandhaus of Leipzig, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, London Symphony, Birmingham Symphony, National Symphony of Spain, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Shanghai and Beijing Symphonies. Solo and concerto performances have taken him North America, Europe, Asia, and several countries in Latin America. In the United States, he has appeared in all major cities and in virtually every state. His recordings are available on the Naxos, Koss, and VAI labels. Mr. Feghali is also coordinator of Internet technologies for TCU’s School of Music, where he was awarded the Mike Ferrari Award for his work with Internet2 and video conferencing and streaming technology.
www.feghali.com

(2nd) - Philippe Bianconi, France

Philippe Bianconi
French pianist Philippe Bianconi has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Montreal Symphonies; Orchestre de Paris; Berlin Radio Symphony; and Sydney Symphony, collaborating with such distinguished conductors as Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kurt Masur, David Zinman, JoAnn Falletta, Marek Janowski, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Edo de Waart, and Yoav Talmi. Recitals have taken him to the major concert halls of New York, London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing. As chamber musician, he has performed with cellist Gary Hoffman, violinist Tedi Papavrami, Guarneri String Quartet, Quartet Sine Nomine, and Parisii String Quartet. Recordings include the solo works of Schumann, Schubert, and Debussy, and the complete solo works of Ravel (Lyrinx). A CD of the Debussy Preludes will be released in August 2012.

(3rd) - Barry Douglas, UK

Barry Douglas
Barry Douglas regularly tours Europe, the United States, Russia, and South America in recital. In recent season, has given concerts with the London Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Hallé, Radio Sinfonie Orchestra Berlin, Melbourne Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, and Dresden Philharmonic, among others. In 1999, he formed Camerata Ireland, an all-Irish chamber orchestra with players from both Northern and Southern Ireland to celebrate "the wealth of Irish musical talent," where he remains artistic director. He is also the artistic director of the Clandeboye Festival and Castletown Concerts in Ireland. Mr. Douglas received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music.

(4th) - Emma Tahmizián, Bulgaria

Emma Tahmizián
Emma Tahmiziàn has concertized in major cities throughout Europe, including Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rome, Geneva, Dubrovnik, and Prague. In North America, Ms. Tahmiziàn has performed in Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, 92nd Street Y, and MoMA in New York; Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.; and Boston’s Jordan Hall. Ms. Tahmiziàn has appeared as a soloist with all the major orchestras of Bulgaria, the Moscow and St. Petersburg Philharmonics, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Berlin Radio Symphony. Since her first public appearance, she has integrated contemporary music with the old masters in her programs, and premiered and recorded numerous new pieces, among which is a significant part of the work by Sebastian Currier. She is a founding member of the MOSAIC quartet. Ms. Tahmiziàn is a frequent guest at festivals in the United States and Europe, including a long-standing association with the Bowdoin International Music Festival,

(5th) - Károly Mocsári, Hungary

Károly Mocsári
Hungarian pianist Károly Mocsári has been invited to play with several major orchestras around the world, including the London Philharmonia, Budapest Festival, English Chamber, Berlin Radio, Montreal Symphony, and Isreal Symphony Orchestras. He has worked with a number of conductors, among them Yuri Bashmet, Sir Andrew Davis, Zoltán Kocsis, Mstislav Rostropovitch, and Vladimir Spivakov. As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Auer, Keller, Takács, and Tokyo String Quartets. He has toured across Europe, North and South America, Asia, and North Africa in various prestigious festivals and concert halls. Mr. Mocsári’s recordings are available on Hungaraton, Timpani, REM, Agon, Philips, and Hänssler. He is frequently invited to be a juror at international piano competitions, including the Liszt International Piano Competitions in Utrecht, Budapest, and Weimar.
www.karolymocsari.com

(6th) - Hans-Christian Wille, W. Germany

Hans-Christian Wille
German pianist Hans-Christian Wille founded the Braunschweiger Kammermusikpodium in 1988, which became one of the largest festivals in Europe and was renamed Braunschweig Classix Festival in 2001. He continues to perform and teach in Europe.

Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Alexei Sultanov, USSR

Alexei Sultanov
Alexei Sultanov was the gold medal winner at the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989, at the age of 19. He subsequently appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, and in hundreds of engagements which included appearances with the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He gave recitals at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, La Scala, and in Paris, Berlin, Zurich, and other music capitals of the world. Mr. Sultanov recorded eight albums over his career, which was cut short by his death in 2005, after a series of strokes.

(2nd) - José Carlos Cocarelli, Brazil

(3rd) - Benedetto Lupo, Italy

Benedetto Lupo
In recent seasons, Benedetto Lupo has made debuts with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Tanglewood Festival. He has also performed with the symphonies of Chicago, Colorado, Montreal, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Utah, Vancouver, and others. Overseas, he was heard with the Hallé, Les Violons du Roy, Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, and on a tour of the Tuscany region with the ORT Orchestra. He performed at numerous music festivals worldwide, including the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Festival of Brescia and Bergamo, Tivoli in Copenhagen, the Villa Medici in Rome, the Chopin in Poland, the Schubert in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and Chicago’s Grant Park Festival. Mr. Lupo teaches at the Nino Rota Conservatory in Italy, gives master classes around the world, and has served on the jury of both the Cleveland International Competition and the Gina Bachauer Competition in Salt Lake City.

(4th) - Alexander Shtarkman, USSR

Alexander Shtarkman
Alexander Shtarkman’s recital appearances in the United States include the Ambassador Foundation, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Tisch Center for the Performing Arts, Ravinia Festival’s Rising Stars Series, San Francisco Performances, Regional Arts Foundation at the Kravis Center, The Peace Center, and Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Orchestral appearances include the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Northwood Festival Orchestra, Marin Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. Mr. Shtarkman performs extensively in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Since 2002, Mr. Shtarkman has served as a member of the piano faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

(5th) - Tian Ying, People's Republic of China

Tian Ying
Tian Ying is associate professor of keyboard performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He has performed in many prestigious concert halls, including Jordan Hall in Boston, Mondavi Center in Davis, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Woodruff Art Center in Atlanta, and Shanghai Grand Opera Theater. Ying’s 1993 Bank of Boston Celebrity Series concert was chosen as one of the top ten in classical music events by The Boston Globe. In addition, Mr. Ying has been profiled in such publications as The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and People magazine. Mr. Ying has also appeared with numerous renowned orchestras all over the world and records for Centaur Records.

(6th) - Elisso Bolkvadze, USSR

Elisso Bolkvadze
Georgian pianist Elisso Bolkvadze frequently appears in such venues as Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau, and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris; Herkulessaal in Munich; Alte Oper in Frankfurt; Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and Pasadena Auditorium in Los Angeles. She has performed with the Orchestre National de France, Gewandhaus Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and Prague Symphony Orchestra, among others. Ms. Bolkvadze has recorded two albums for Sony Classical, performing piano concertos by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt. French national TV channel LCI aired a full documentary film about her, and she regularly gives live performances on Mezzo TV channel.
www.elisso-bolkvadze.com

Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Simone Pedroni, Italy

Simone Pedroni
Simone Pedroni’s international appearances have included invitations from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, RAI Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, I Musici of Montreal, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana on tour in South America, Orquesta de Valencia, Orquesta Nacional de España, Prague Chamber Orchestra on tour in the United States, and the Santa Cecilia, Moscow Philharmonic, Belgium National, Dallas Symphony, Lausanne Chamber Orchestras. Mr. Pedroni aslo serves as artist-in-residence at the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “G. Verdi”. His recital appearances have included the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Carnegie Hall in New York, Herkulessaal in Munich, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Quirinale in Rome, Salle Gaveau in Paris, The Prague Spring Festival, Palau de la Musica of Valencia, and in the cities of Beijing, Bonn, Berlin, Hannover, Lisbon Athens, Istanbul, Montecarlo, Tel Aviv, and many others in United States and Japan.
www.simonepedroni.com

(2nd) - Valery Kuleshov, Russia

Valery Kuleshov
Valery Kuleshov‘s career has included performances in major concert halls in Russia as well as in Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. His concert appearances have included performances with numerous orchestras in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as those in Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Dallas, Santo Domingo, and Birmingham, England. He has toured Australia three times, culminating in an appearance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra before an audience of 25,000 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Mr. Kuleshov’s discography includes eight discs. In 1997, Mr. Kuleshov was awarded the rare distinction of “Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation” by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. In addition to maintaining an international performing schedule, Valery Kuleshov serves as artist-in-residence at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.
www.valerykuleshov.com

(3rd) - Christopher Taylor, USA

Christopher Taylor
Christopher Taylor has concertized around the globe, with the most recent international tours taking him to Korea, China, Singapore, Italy, and Venezuela. In the United States, he has appeared with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Boston Pops. In chamber settings, he has collaborated with many eminent musicians, including Robert McDuffie, Robert Mann, and the Borromeo, Shanghai, Pro Arte, and Ying Quartets. Mr. Taylor has also undertaken various unusual projects, including the commission and premiere of a piano concerto by Derek Bermel with the Indianapolis Symphony; performances and lectures on the complete etudes of György Ligeti; and a series of performances of the Goldberg Variations on a unique double-manual Steinway piano. In addition to his concert schedule, he currently serves as associate professor of piano performance at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

(4th) - Johan Schmidt, Belgium

Johan Schmidt
Johan Schmidt has performed in such prestigious venues as the Gasteig in Munich, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Châtelet in Paris, Suntory and Casals Halls in Tokyo, Symphony Hall in Osaka, Rachmaninoff Theater in Moscow, the Shanghai Expo 2010, and throughout Israel. Apart from being a frequent guest of the foremost Belgian orchestras, Mr. Schmidt has performed with the New Japan Philharmonic, Athens Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ukraine Symphony, RTL Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de France. His chamber music partners are Augustin Dumay, the Malher Piano Quartet, the American String Quartet, Eyal Shiloach, David Cohen, and Ronald Van Spaendonck. Mr. Schmidt has made a number of CD recordings for EMI, Fontec, EMS, Musica Numeris, Azur Classical, and Le Chant de Linos. Now professor at the Royal Brussels Conservatory, he also regularly gives master classes in Europe and in China.
www.johanschmidt.com

(5th) - Armen Babakhanian, Armenia

Armen Babakhanian
Armen Babakhanian has given recitals throughout the North and South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe. He has appeared as soloist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, as well as the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Dallas and Utah Symphony Orchestras, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov, and Moscow Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev, among others. He has appeared in chamber music concerts as a member of the Cadence Quintet as well as in performances with the Takács Quartet. In 1991, he founded and served as artistic director of the Armenian Legacy International Piano Competition in Yerevan, and is artistic director of the Yerevan International Piano Competition. He serves as artist-in-residence at the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan, and in 2011, was named dean of the piano department at the Yerevan State Conservatory

(6th) - Fabio Bidini, Italy

Fabio Bidini
Italian pianist Fabio Bidini’s appearances have included performances with the London Symphony, Philharmonia, New World Symphony, Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, and Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestras. He is repeatedly invited to perform at the prestigious festival of Europe. Mr. Bidini’s discography comprises 13 CDs recorded under the labels BMG, Classichord, Musikstrasse, EPR, and True Sounds. In addition to his performance activities, Mr. Bidini accepted a professorship in the piano department at Berlin’s Univerität der Künste in 2005, and in 2009, was appointed to one of the most prestigious chairs in German music schools at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. www.fabiobidini.com

Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Jon Nakamatsu, USA

Jon Nakamatsu
Jon Nakamatsu has performed widely in North America, Europe, and the Far East, collaborating with such conductors as James Conlon, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Osmo Vänskä, and Hans Vonk. Mr. Nakamatsu’s recital tours throughout the United States and Europe have featured appearances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Paris, London, and Milan. He also performed at a White House concert hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton. He works with various chamber ensembles—among them the Brentano, Tokyo, Kuss, Miami, Jupiter, and Ying String Quartets—and has toured repeatedly with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. Together with clarinetist Jon Manasse, Mr. Nakamatsu tours continually as a member of the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo. The Duo also serves as artistic directors of the esteemed Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts. Mr. Nakamatsu records exclusively for harmonia mundi usa, which released his tenth CD in 2010.
www.jonnakamatsu.com

(2nd) - Yakov Kasman, Russia

Yakov Kasman
Yakov Kasman has given concerts in South America, Europe, Asia, and the United States, including recitals in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. He has appeared as soloist with more than 50 orchestras including the Buffalo, Oregon, Pacific, Syracuse, Memphis, Miami, Fort Worth, Nashville, and Alabama Symphonies; Athens State Orchestra; the Orchestre de Lille and Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier in France; the Singapore Symphony; the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan; Orquestra Sinfonica de Baleares in Spain; Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra in South Korea; and the Moscow Philharmonia Orchestra. Mr. Kasman’s discography includes 12 studio CD recordings on the Calliope label. He is now professor of piano and artist-in-residence at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
www.yakovkasman.com

(3rd) - Aviram Reichert, Israel

Aviram Reichert
Aviram Reichert is a frequent soloist with the leading orchestras in his native country of Israel, including the Israel Philharmonic, Haifa Symphony, and the Jerusalem Symphony. He has also performed with the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic, Tokyo Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, the major orchestras in South Africa, and numerous orchestras in the United States. In recital, Mr. Reichert has performed throughout the United States, Israel, South Africa, the Far East, and in Europe. Festival performances include the Ruhr, Epinal Music, Tokyo Summer, Bear Valley, Durango, Steamboat Springs, Ravinia, Fontana, and Gilmore Keyboard Festivals. He has collaborated with artists such as Anne Akiko Meyers, Maya Beiser, Guy Braunstein, Yuri Gandelsman, Vadim Gluzman, Dylana Jenson, Bill Purcell, and Philippe Quint. Mr. Reichert is frequently invited to conduct master classes in Japan, Korea, South Africa, Israel, and the United States. He is currently associate professor of piano at Seoul National University, College of Music. Mr. Reichert is a Steinway Artist.
www.aviramreichert.com

(Finalist) - Jan Gottlieb Jiracek, Germany

Jan Gottlieb Jiracek
Jan Jiracek von Arnim has performed extensively throughout Europe, including recitals at the Herkulessaal in Munich, Philharmonie in Berlin, Steinway Hall in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, Palau de la musica in Barcelona, Tonhalle in Zurich, Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, Musikhalle in Hamburg, and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, as well as orchestral appearances with the Berlin and St. Petersburg Philharmonics, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Northern Sinfonia of England. Following his success at the Cliburn Competition, Mr. Jiracek von Arnim made more than 80 appearances throughout the United States. He was appointed professor for piano at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien in 2001. He is frequently invited as a judge at international piano competitions and gives master classes throughout North America, Asia, and Europe.
www.jiracek.com

(Finalist) - Katia Skanavi, Russia

Katia Skanavi
Russian pianist Katia Skanavi has appeared in recital, chamber, and concerto soloist throughout Europe and the United States. She has appeared at choice European festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron, Gidon Kremer’s Lockenhaus Festival, and with cellist Truls Mørk in Stavanger. European engagements include her debut at the Berlin Philharmonie with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, concerts with the Orchestra National de France, and the Brussels Philharmonic. Her most notable American engagements have included recitals in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and concerto appearances with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, and San Francisco. Ms. Skanavi recently made her debut in Australia with a three-week national recital tour for Musica Viva. She has recorded several CDs, mainly for the Lyrinx label. A Chopin recital, on the Pro Piano label, was named Classical Recording of the Month by Gramophone magazine.
www.katiaskanavi.com

(Finalist) - Filippo Gamba, Italy

Filippo Gamba
Fiippo Gamba has performed with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Weimar Staatskapelle, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, Camerata Academica Salzburg, City of Birmingham Symphony, and Israel Philharmonic. Among the conductors he has worked with are Simon Rattle, Pinchas Steinberg, James Conlon, George Albrecht, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Lawrence Foster. Mr. Gamba has given recitals at many notable festivals and in several well-known concert halls of Europe, including the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Herkulessaal in Munich, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Salle Molière in Lyon, and NDR-Saal in Hanover. Mr. Gamba has recorded two CDs for Sony with the violinist Niimura and five discs with LOL Production. He is professor at the Musik-Akademie in Basel.

Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Stanislav Ioudenitch, Uzbekistan

Stanislav Ioudenitch
Stanislav Ioudenitch has collaborated with James Conlon, James DePreist, Günther Herbig, Asher Fisch, Stefan Sanderling, Michael Stern, Carl St. Clair, and Justus Franz; and with such orchestras as the Munich Philharmonic, National Symphony in Washington, D.C., Rochester Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, and National Philharmonic of Russia. He has also performed with the Takács, Prazák, Borromeo, and Accorda Quartets, and is a founding member of the Park Piano Trio. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Théâtre du Châtelet, among other venues. Mr. Ioudenitch’s passion to teach has found expression in the forming of the International Center for Music and the Youth Conservatory of Music at Park University near Kansas City, where he is artistic director and associate professor of music and piano.

(1st) - Olga Kern, Russia

Olga Kern
Olga Kern maintains a busy performance career. Recent seasons have seen her debuts with the Baltimore, New Jersey, and Vancouver Symphonies, a special event concert with famed soprano Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall, and repeat engagements with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival. She also performed with the Colorado, Detroit, Houston, Nashville, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as in recitals in the United States and an extensive recital tour of North America with violinist Vladimir Spivakov. Recent European appearances and debuts have included a tour of Austria and Switzerland with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Maestro Antoni Wit, a tour of Germany with the Czech Philharmonic and Maestro Zdenek Maçal, performances with the orchestras of Copenhagen and Lyon, and recitals in Milan, Hamburg, and Luxembourg. She recently made debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Proms, Seoul Philharmonic, and Orquestra de São Paulo.
www.olgakern.com

(2nd) - Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Italy

Antonio Pompa-Baldi
Antonio Pompa-Baldi has toured in recital extensively on four continents. He has appeared with the Boston Pops, Pacific Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, the Cleveland Pops, and the orchestras of Houston, Jacksonville, Fort Worth, Syracuse, Kansas City, Columbus, and Charleston. Abroad, he has performed with the Orchestre Philarmonique de Metz, Orchestre National de Paris-Radio France, Berliner Symphoniker, Auckland Philharmonia, National Orchestra of Santo Domingo, and Orchestra di Toscana. He serves as distinguished professor of piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and gives master classes around the world. He is often invited to judge international piano competitions and has served as president of the jury for the International Russian Piano Music Competition in San Jose since 2006. Mr. Pompa-Baldi is a Steinway Artist.
www.pompa-baldi.com

(2nd) - Maxim Philippov, Russia

Maxim Philippov
Maxim Philippov has performed recitals throughout his native Russia, Europe, and North America, highlighted by appearances at important concert venues such as the Gasteig in Munich, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Tonhalle in Zurich, Zankel Hall at Carnegie in New York, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has collaborated with the Calgary Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Edinburgh Symphony, Hamburg Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, and Santo Domingo Symphony. Mr. Philippov has recorded two discs devoted to the solo works of Rachmaninoff, which join his harmonia mundi recording featuring his Cliburn Competition performance. Mr. Philippov now resides in Moscow, where he is assistant professor of piano at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
www.philippov.org

(Finalist) - Alexey Koltakov, Ukraine

Alexey Koltakov
Ukrainian pianist Alexey Koltakov has toured Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, China, Australia, Mexico, and the United States. He has performed with such renowned conductors as James Conlon, JoAnn Falletta, Mykola Dyadyura, and Enrique Batiz. Mr. Koltakov graduated from The Juilliard School in 2012.

(Finalist) - Wang Xiaohan, China

Wang Xiaohan
Xiaohang Wang has appeared at several important international festivals, including the Ravinia and Gilmore Festivals in the United States, the Beethoven Festival and Kissinger Sommer Festival in Germany, the Gdansk Spring Festival in Poland, the Arthur Rubinstein Festival and Israel Festival in Israel, and the “Hundred Pianists in the 20th Century” concert series in Tokyo, Japan. Major orchestras with which he has performed include the China Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Bavarian Broadcasting Symphony, Baltic Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras. His performance of Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, with the Köln Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maestro Helmut Müller-Brühl, was recorded and published by Naxos. Mr. Wang has also earned acclaim as a composer whose works have been performed by himself and other young artists.

Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

(1st) - Alexander Kobrin, Russia

Alexander Kobrin
Alexander Kobrin has appeared across the United States and worldwide, including the Salle Cortot in Paris; Wigmore Hall and Albert Hall in London; Munich Herkulesaal and Berliner Filarmonia Hall in Germany; Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Avery Fisher Hall in New York; Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatoire; Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore; and others. He has performed and given master classes at the International Piano Series, Ravinia Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, and Busoni Festival. Performances with orchestras include the New York Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Berliner Symphony, Russian National Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Warsaw Philharmonic, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kobrin’s recordings can be found on the Quartz, King Records, Fondamenta, and harmonia mundi labels. Mr. Kobrin currently serves as the L. Rexford Whiddon Distinguished Chair in Piano at the Schwob School of Music of Columbus State University
www.alexkobrinpianist.com

(2nd) - Joyce Yang, South Korea

Joyce Yang
Joyce Yang is continually re-engaged by orchestras across the United States and abroad. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Houston Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and BBC Philharmonic, among many others, working with such renowned conductors as Edo de Waart, Lorin Maazel, James Conlon, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Jaap van Zweden, and Bramwell Tovey. In recital, Ms. Yang has appeared at New York’s Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Chicago’s Symphony Hall, and Zurich’s Tonhalle. An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with the Takàcs Quartet, Miró Quartet, Tokyo Quartet, Augustin Hadelich, and Stefan Jackiw. In 2010, she was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant, one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music. A Steinway Artist, Ms. Yang currently resides in New York City.
www.pianistjoyceyang.com

(3rd) - Sa Chen, China

Sa Chen
Sa Chen’s recent orchestral engagements include her debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra both with Edo de Waart, the Orchestre National du Capitore de Toulouse with Tugan Sokhiev, and the Orquestra Sinfonica de Castilla y Léon with Vasily Petrenko. She also made return appearances with the orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou; and appeared in recital in Istanbul, Hannover, Atlanta, Lucerne, Lisbon, Munich, Venice, and throughout China, and in the world’s most prestigious venues. Her debut disc, Chopin Impression, was released in 2003 on JVC, followed by her Cliburn Competition recording on harmonia mundi. She now records exclusively for Pentatone.
www.chen-sa.com

(Finalist) - Roberto Plano, Italy

Roberto Plano
Italian pianist Roberto Plano has performed throughout North America and Europe in important venues that include Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Severance Hall in Cleveland, National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Salle Cortot in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, and others. He has been a featured recitalist at the Ravinia, Gilmore, and Portland Piano International Festivals in the United States; Chopin Festival in Duszniki, Poland; the Encuentro de musica y Accademia de Santander in Spain; and the Settimane Musicali di Stresa and Festival “A.B. Michelangeli” of Brescia and Bergamo in Italy, among others. Mr. Plano has collaborated with the Takács, Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Vogel, Jupiter, Enso, and Henschel String Quartets. He teaches at the International Music Academy "Accademia Musicale Varesina," which he founded. In September 2011, Mr. Plano created the Music Association "Alfred Cortot," which he chairs, with the aim of spreading classical music in all its aspects.
www.robertoplano.com

(Finalist) - Davide Cabassi, Italy

Davide Cabassi
Davide Cabassi has played concerts throughout the United States, Austria, China, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, Portugal, Russia, Scandinavia, and Switzerland, highlighted by appearances in Salzburg’s Mozarteum, the Louvre in Paris, the Gasteig in Munich, and Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow. He has collaborated with the Munich Philharmonic, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and the Russian Chamber Philharmonic, as well as with several Italian orchestras. Mr. Cabassi’s debut CD for Sony-BMG records, Dancing with the Orchestra won the Italian Critics Award for Best Debut Recording of the Season. He followed this with a recording of the Brahms and Schumann concertos (Col Legno) and Pictures and Escaping (Allegro) in 2008. He is a faculty member of the Verdi Conservatory in Milan and of the Monteverdi Conservatory in Bozen. He also serves as artist-in-residence at the Col-Legno Festival in Lucca.
www.davidecabassi.net

(Finalist) - Chu-Fang Huang, China

Chu-Fang Huang
Chinese-born pianist Chu-Fang Huang has performed in Canada with the Victoria Symphony; in Australia with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra; in China with the Shenzhen and Liaoning Philharmonic Orchestras; and at the famed Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Ruhr Piano Festival in Germany, the Mustafa Kemal Center in Istanbul, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. Ms. Huang has also been heard in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Fort Worth, and Palm Beach, among others. As concerto soloist she has performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and with the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Pasadena, Des Moines, Lafayette, Fairfax, Rockford, and Anchorage. Ms. Huang is the artistic director of the Ameri-China International Music Association which she founded to provide opportunities for young Chinese pianists to study in the United States. She is a Steinway Artist and resides in New York City.

Cliburn Winners