The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, which alternates annually between young pianists and violinists aged 13 to 18, has announced six pianists who have advanced to the 2025 concerto round.
These talented musicians will compete for a spot in the final round, where finalists will have the opportunity to perform alongside the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra.
All competition rounds are available for live streaming on The Violin Channel, offering audiences worldwide the chance to follow the event in real time.
Concerto Round Pianists and Repertoire
- Yangting Wang performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
- Qinyaoyao Ji performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
- Yixin Shen performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
- Anwen Deng performing Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
- Sawako Harada performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
- Anna Avramidou performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23
These six musicians were selected from an initial pool of 21 candidates. Each will perform their chosen concerto in its entirety, accompanied by piano.
Following their performances, three pianists will be selected to move forward to the final round. Additionally, awards will be granted for fourth, fifth, and sixth places, as well as an Audience Prize.
Prize and Scholarship Details
The first-place winner will receive a cash prize of $20,000. Second place will be awarded $10,000, and third place will receive $5,000. The pianists placing fourth through sixth will be awarded $1,500 each, while the Audience Prize recipient will be granted $500.
Beyond monetary rewards, the three finalists will be offered full four-year tuition scholarships to Oberlin Conservatory, contingent upon successful admission.
Jury Panel for 2025
The jury for the piano competition will be chaired by Robert Shannon, accompanied by esteemed panelists Angela Cheng, Alvin Chow, André Gremillet, Douglas Humpherys, Aljoša Jurinić, Yong Hi Moon, and Haewon Song.
For those interested in following the performances, live streams of all rounds are available here on The Violin Channel.
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
