Re-watch the performances of the six finalists from this year's Van Cliburn Competition Final
After two and half weeks of high-level competition and exceptional music-making, the winners of the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition were announced on Saturday 18 June by Jury Chair Marin Alsop at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas USA.
At 18 years of age, South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim became the youngest ever winner of the gold medal. The Silver medal was awarded to Russian pianist Anna Geniushene, while the Bronze medal was awarded to Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni. The remaining three finalists were Uladzislau Khandohi, Ilya Shmukler and Clayton Stephenson.
Re-watch their incredible performances below!
Gold Medallist: Yunchan Lim – Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30
A native of Siheung, 1st Prize Winner Yunchan currently studies at the Korea National University of Arts under Minsoo Sohn. Coming to Fort Worth, he says he is “looking forward to playing in front of the warmest and most passionate audience in the world.”
Silver Medallist: Anna Geniushene – Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 in C major Op 15
31-year-old Russian pianist Anna Geniushene graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2015, and completed her Master’s with Distinction and Advanced Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music (London) in 2018. She has also been one of the elite Bicentenary Scholars at the Academy under the tutelage of Christopher Elton.
Bronze Medallist: Dmytro Choni – Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 in C major Op 26
Some of you will recognise Dmytro Choni. The 28-year-old Ukrainian recently finished 4th at the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine under the guidance of Yuri Kot, then moved to Austria in 2015 to study with Milana Chernyavska at the Kunstuniversität Graz.
Other finalists
Uladzislau Khandohi – Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 18
The 20-year-old Belarusian has studied with Natalia Trull at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory since 2020. He most recently won the 2021 editions of the Ferrol International Piano Competition in Spain and the Sanremo International Piano Competition in Italy.
Ilya Shmukler – Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16
Shmukler, a 27-year-old Russian, completed his master’s degree with honours at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2021, under the guidance of Elena Kuznetsova and Sergey Kuznetsov. Presently, he studies with 2001 Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, Missouri.
Clayton Stephenson – Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30
The 23-year-old American pianist currently studies in the Harvard-NEC Dual Degree Program, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance at the New England Conservatory under Wha Kyung Byun.
Main image (left to right): Anna Geniushene, Yunchan Lim, Dmytro Choni. Image courtesy of ©The Cliburn.
