This year's edition of the competition is set to take place from 28 July - 10 August in Cleveland, Ohio
Sixteen budding pianists have made it to the Quarter-Final stage of this year's Cleveland International Piano Competition.
The Quarter Finalists hail from nine different countries, with China, Italy and the United States leading the way with three competitors each. Czech Republic, Spain, France, Poland, Vietnam, Japan and Canada are also represented.
The pianists were selected from a field of 55 First Round contestants who played in either Paris or Cleveland earlier this spring. Over three weeks in July and August, the contestants will deliver free public performances, play a variety of repertoire at the ticketed competition events, and ultimately compete for the $75,000 Mixon First Prize.
This year's edition will also celebrate 50 years since the very first edition of the competition. The first edition took place in 1975 but, as the competition is biannual and there is no competition in 2025, it will be celebrated this year instead.
The Quarter Finalists are as follows:
Robert Bily, 27, Czech Republic
Michelle Candotti, 28, Italy
Antonio Chen Guang, 29, China
Leo de María, 28, Spain
Jacopo Giovannini, 26, Italy
Giuseppe Guarrera, 32, Italy
Mirabelle Kajenjeri, 26, France
Jakub Kuszlik, 27, Poland
Maxim Lando, 21, United States
Khanh Nhi Luong, 28, Vietnam
Jonathan Mamora, 29, United States
Arisa Onoda, 28, Japan
Evren Ozel, 25, United States
Zhu Wang, 27, Canada
Zijian Wei, 25, China
Zihao Wu, 26, China
Piano Cleveland President Yaron Kohlberg comments: “These sixteen pianists are more than excellent musicians. These are dynamic artists who are reimagining what classical musicianship looks like—and sounds like—in a global community. This year’s competition is charting new territory.”
All sixteen will compete in the Quarter-Finals from July 29-31, featuring solo piano performances. Eight will move on to the Semi-Finals, held August 1-4, which feature solo recitals and chamber music. From there, the field will be narrowed to the final four. The four Finalists will then perform a salon concert on August 6 and 7 as well as the competition's signature finale of concerto performances with The Cleveland Orchestra on August 9 and 10.
For ticket pricing and packages as well as full contestant biographies and repertoire, visit pianocleveland.org/