17 June 2025
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Honens announces the 10 outstanding pianists who have advanced to the Semifinals rounds of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition
Honens announced today the 10 outstanding pianists who have advanced to the Semifinals rounds of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition. The pianists, aged 24 to 30, come from eight countries: Canada, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. From October 16 to 20, these competitive young pianists will participate in both solo and chamber recitals at Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, Rozsa Centre (please see below for details). Three Finalists will then be chosen to perform at the two Finals rounds, which take place at Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons), on October 23 and 24. Out of them, one pianist who best demonstrates the ideal of Honens’ Complete Artist, will be named the 2025 Honens Gold Laureate, winning one of the world’s largest awards of its kind—$100,000 (CAD) and a comprehensive, three-year artistic development and career accelerator program.
The 10 distinguished Semifinalists, in alphabetical order and followed by age (as of October 24, 2025), are:
• Ádám Balogh, 28
• Elia Cecino, 24
• Carter Johnson, 29
• Giorgio Lazzari, 25
• Sandro Nebieridze, 24
• Chaeyoung Park, 28
• Élisabeth Pion, 29
• Anastasia Vorotnaya, 30
• Derek Wang, 27
• Yuanfan Yang, 28
The First Jury, composed of Sara Davis Buechner, Nicolas Namoradze, Marianne Perron, and Robert Roux, reviewed the Quarterfinal recitals and interviews recorded in Berlin and New York in March of this year. Under the guidance of Honens Official Mathematician Moshe Renert, the four jurors chose these 10 exceptional pianists to be invited to Calgary in October.
Each Semifinalist performs two recitals: a self-programmed solo recital, carefully crafted to reflect his or her unique musical voice, including a newly commissioned work by the Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi; and a recital that weaves solo performance with a collaborative musical dialogue between the pianist and the Edmonton-born cellist Rachel Mercer.
The three selected Finalists go on to perform a piano quintet with the Isidore String Quartet on October 23, including a solo encore announced from the stage. In the second Finals round, the following day, each participant performs a concerto composed after 1791 with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Elias Grandy. They also take part in a 30-minute interview with an arts journalist. The members of the Second Jury, who will evaluate the Semifinalists and Finalists, are Philippe Bianconi, Jenny Bilfield, Janina Fialkowska, Leila Getz, Anne-Marie McDermott, Roberto Plano, and Awadagin Pratt. They will select the 2025 Honens Gold Laureate, who will be announced following the conclusion of the Finals on October 24.
Honens also announces today the 2025 Honens Honours award recipients. Honens Honours is a signature celebration that pays tribute to individuals and organizations whose passion for the arts has profoundly shaped our cultural landscape. Inspired by the visionary spirit of Esther Honens, this event shines a spotlight on those whose extraordinary contributions have enriched our city, province, and country. The honourees are Heather Edwards, Helen Graham, and Clarice Siebens. The Honens Honours gala, on October 21, will be an elegant evening celebrating the generosity of the honourees in an inspiring tribute to the philanthropic spirit that fuels Honens’ vision to foster a love of the piano.