2025 Pacific International Piano Competition

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2025 Pacific International Piano Competition

COMPETITION DIRECTORS:
Dr. Adam Aleksander
Dr. Hanna Cyba

2025 ADJUDICATORS:
Margrit Julia Zimmermann
Dr. Sohyoung Park
Dr. Grace Fong

PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION IS BASED IN BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, USA.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.

Our 5th annual competition was designed to attract the most creative and brilliant pianists from around the world to perform an OPEN REPERTOIRE program that may consist of one or more pieces OF THEIR CHOICE. We want to give the pianists FULL FREEDOM to perform the repertoire of their choice without requiring a pre-screening round or compulsory repertoire round. Please note: no refunds will be issued after registration.

CATEGORIES:
PIANO SOLO, PIANO DUETS AND PIANO CONCERTOS

ALL AGES WELCOME!
All pianists will be divided by their age. For Duets and Concertos, there will be a JUNIOR DIVISION and SENIOR DIVISION. 

  • PIANO SOLO:
    YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75
  • PIANO SOLO:
    YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90
  • PIANO DUET:
    YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75 per team.
  • PIANO DUET:
    YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90 per team.
  • PIANO CONCERTO JUNIOR DIVISION
    (pianists must be under age 13):
    YouTube video link of 10 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $85 (no penalty if video is longer, but adjudicator stops watching after 10 minutes)
  • PIANO CONCERTO SENIOR DIVISION
    (pianists ages 14 to 18):
    YouTube video link of 15 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $95 (no penalty if video is longer, but adjudicator stops watching after 15 minutes)

Rules

GENERAL RULES

Application period: May 15 to June 1, 2025. Application automatically ends when 120 pianists are enrolled.
Video link deadline: Tuesday, June 1, 2025
Online judging period: Wednesday, June 15 to June 25, 2025
Maximum number of contestants: 120

ALL AGES WELCOME!
All pianists will be divided by their age.

REPERTOIRE: Completely open to any composer, any time period. One or more selections permitted within the time allotted for your age division. There is NO penalty if your footage is longer than time allotted, but judges will stop viewing when they reach maximum time limit.

PIANO SOLO:
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75

PIANO SOLO:
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90

PIANO DUET (memorization optional):
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75 per team.

PIANO DUET: (memorization optional):
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90 per team.

PIANO CONCERTO JUNIOR DIVISION (pianists must be under age 13):
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 10 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $85 (no penalty if video is longer, but adjudicator stops watching after 10 minutes). 

PIANO CONCERTO SENIOR DIVISION (pianists ages 14 to 18)
Any music time period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary)
YouTube video link of 15 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $95 (no penalty if video is longer, but adjudicator stops watching after 15 minutes). 

All results are final and cannot be contested.

E-Certificates and adjudication remarks will be emailed to the teacher of every pianist

2025 Competition winners will receive MEDALS CERTIFICATES. All "medalists" will be given an attractive PDF file, customized with medal distinction and pianist's name.

Special GRAND PRIX Gold Medals will be given to extremely exceptional pianists. Pianist will receive a special recognition diploma with their photo and biography. We will also feature their performances on facebook and website for 10 months.

RULES FOR YOUTUBE LINKS

ALL REGISTERED PIANISTS WILL RECEIVE CONFIRMATION EMAIL WITHIN 24 HOURS with instructions on link submission. PLEASE CONTACT US if you have not received instructions for submitting your youtube video link!

ONLY ONE YouTube link must be submitted. Face and hands must be visible at all times. Music must be performed memorized.

Solos, Duets and Concertos are all SEPARATE categories. You may enter for more than ONE category, but must register and pay for each category separately.

For Solos, duets and concertos, YouTube user account must be anonymous and cannot identify the teachers of the performers.

For concertos, please blur out accompanist IF the accompanist is the teacher of the soloist. Directions on blurring your YouTube video can be found here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9057652?hl=en 

For solos and duets: If performing more than one piece, it must be recorded in a single footage. All edited videos such as combined footages from two separate recording sessions, pausing, splicing, etc. will be disqualified immediately. If your performance is longer than the allotted time, adjudicator will stop exactly at the allotted time or may freely fast forward at will. Therefore, pianists are not permitted to abridge, modify, shorten or leave out sections of the music.

Adjudicators reserve the right to request music scores for some piece(s). Please be prepared to have a scanned copy of your music in PDF form.

Only YouTube format (please set to PUBLIC or UNLISTED) will be permitted. Video link title and description MUST include the following:

TITLE AREA:
• 2025 PIPC
• Full name of pianist
• Age of pianist (as of June 15th, 2025)

DESCRIPTION AREA:
• Composer and title performed.

2025 Adjudicators

2025 ADJUDICATOR:  Margrit Julia Zimmermann

Margrit Julia Zimmermann

Margrit Julia Zimmermann, pianist, is an artist of uncommon poetic sensitivity, whose playing reflects the finest traditions of the European and Russian piano schools. Known for her gentle touch, expressive depth, and virtuosic command, she brings a rare musical creativity to her interpretations of composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff. One reviewer praised her performances for their “fascinating intensity and highly poetic play.”

A graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, Ms. Zimmermann studied with a distinguished lineage of pedagogues including Dmitri Bashkirov, Lev Naumov, Sergei Babayan, Vera Gornostaeva, and Vadim Sukhanov. Her performances have been broadcast throughout Russia, Lithuania, and Germany, and she has appeared in prestigious venues across Europe, the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Ms. Zimmermann’s extensive solo and orchestral engagements have included appearances at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center (New York), the Rachmaninoff Hall (Moscow), and venues in Vienna, Graz, Kaunas, and Kishinev, among others. She has performed with the Kaliningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Richercar in Moscow, Kasseler Symphony Orchestra, and Harleshäuser Kammermusik Orchestra. Her recent solo engagements include appearances at the Nord-Hessen Kultursommer, the Rotterdam Festival of Modern Musik, and the Vilnius Summer Festival.

She has received numerous accolades, including prizes at the International Johannes Brahms Competition (Austria) and the International Piano Competition in Roma (Italy). Her recordings on labels such as SALTO, ProSound, ASV (England), and BIS (Sweden) have earned critical acclaim in publications including Gramophone (UK), Das Orchester (Germany), and Penn Sounds (USA), praised for their “deep musical sense and technical perfection.”

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Zimmermann is deeply committed to education. She serves as Artist-in-Residence at Nyack College’s Manhattan campus and formerly held the same role at Alliance University in New York. She was also a co-founder and Artistic Director of the International Music Festival “Cascades” in Germany. In 2007, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Recital Hall.

A passionate chamber musician and recording artist, Ms. Zimmermann is also active as a pedagogue. Her students have continued their studies at major institutions in Russia, Germany, England, and the United States. She currently teaches alongside Professor Natasha Lipkina in New York City at the Interplay Chamber Music Program for young musicians.

Since 1992, she has made her home in Germany, where she was awarded the Arts Prize of the Wolfgang-Zippel Foundation, recognizing her artistic achievements and cultural contributions.

2025 ADJUDICATOR:  Dr. Grace Fong

Dr. Grace Fong

Grace Fong is a prize-winning American pianist with an international career as a concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and contemporary keyboardist. Praised as "positively magical" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), and "immediately a revelation" (Arizona Central), Fong has gained critical acclaim in the United States, Canada, Europe, United Arab Emirates and Asia. She has been featured at major venues including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall; the Kennedy Center; Musco Center for the Arts; Phillips Collection; the Hollywood Bowl; Great Hall in Leeds, UK; Reinberger Hall at Severance Hall; the Liszt Academy in Budapest; Konzerthaus Dortmund in Germany; and the National Center for Performing Arts, Beijing. Radio and television performances have included the British Broadcasting Company, "Performance Today" on National Public Radio, WFMT “Live from Chicago,” WCLV-FM Cleveland, KUSC Los Angeles, and the "Emerging Young Artists" series in New York. She has performed as soloist with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, the Halle Orchestra in the United Kingdom under Mark Elder, the Polish Chamber Orchestra under Wojcec Rajski, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, among others.

Described by one critic as possessing “technical brilliance, infectious energy and sheer enjoyment of music making” (BC News), Fong is a gold-medalist and prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the prestigious Leeds in the United Kingdom, International Liszt, Cleveland International, Bosendorfer International, San Antonio International, Viardo International, Wideman International, and Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition.

Special prizes have included “Best Performances” Prizes of Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary works, as well as the “Jury’s Selection” Prize. Fong is also the winner of one of America's most prestigious piano awards, the Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship of the American Pianists Association (the first female winner in 12 years). She also won the Grand Prize in piano from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and thereafter was named a "Presidential Scholar in the Arts,’” for which she was awarded a performance at the Kennedy Center and presented with a medallion by the President of the United States at the White House.

Born in Los Angeles, Fong was a Trustee (full) Scholarship recipient at the University of Southern California where she completed a double major and minor.

2025 ADJUDICATOR: Dr. Sohyoung Park

Dr. Sohyoung Park

Pianist Sohyoung Park, born in Seoul, Korea, is an active soloist and chamber musician. She has performed throughout Europe, the United States, Taiwan and Korea. Her solo and chamber performances include appearances at the Salle Cortot in Paris, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Lübeck, Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Auditorium del Museo Revoltella in Trieste, Amalfi Music Festival in Vietri sul mare, Mozart Museum in Prague, Seoul Arts Center in Seoul Park performed a series of the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in Lansing, Texas Christian University, Texas State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, Duncan Recital Hall, and Moores Opera House in Houston. Park has also appeared as a soloist with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra in Stude Concert Hall and the Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria. She was the pianist of the Sam Houston Piano Trio at Sam Houston State University.

Park received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music degree at the Seoul National University. She also received a Diploma of Merit from Accademia Musicale di Chigiana in Siena, Italy, and attended the International Chamber Music School of the Trio di Trieste in Italy. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has studied with and been coached by renowned artists and pedagogues such as Robert Roux, Michele Campanella, Paul Badura-Skoda, Dario De Rosa, John Perry, Russell Sherman, Menahem Pressler, Eugene Istomin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Phillippe Entremont, Lazar Berman, James Tocco, Louis Nagel, and Martin Katz.

Park joined the faculty at Rice University in 2005. Previously, she was a faculty member at Sam Houston State University. Her students have won competitions and auditions at the local, state, and national levels. She has given masterclasses and lectures in venues including New York University, the University of Texas at Arlington, University of Taipei, the National Chiayi University, Tainan Performing Art High School, Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Katy Music Teachers Association, Arlington Music Teachers Association, and Chopin Society of Houston. She was recognized as the 2012 Teacher of the Year by the Houston Music Teachers Association. She has performed and served on the Texas State International Piano Festival faculty and the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy. Since 2020, she has served as a vice president of the Chopin Society of Houston.

Announcing the 2025 PIPC (Pacific International Piano Competition) Medalists!


AGES 7 and under (Adjudicator: Dr. Grace Fong)
GOLD: Elena Nien (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
SILVER: Hope Wang (Teacher: Victoriya Kuzminska)
BRONZE: Rose Huang (Teachers: Ni Liu / Ory Shihor)
HONORABLE MENTION: Aiden Zhu, Bella Jiang, Cassandra Ge, Ethan Ma, Evelyn Hua, Hannah Pan, Jinluo Pei, Natalie Sun, Riley Shen, Simone Chai

AGE 8 (Adjudicator: Dr. Sohyoung Park)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Daniel Wang (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
GOLD: Selina Shen (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Ava He (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Orson Lin (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
SILVER: Sofia Yu (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
BRONZE: Claire Yuen (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Eliana Cho (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
BRONZE: Jeffrey Lou (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Kate Yuen (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Yuxin Sun (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
HONORABLE MENTION: Audrey Lu, Ivy Yu, Luke Shi, Sophie Su, Wallace Wang

AGE 9 (Adjudicator: Margrit Julia Zimmermann)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Caroline Zhang (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
GOLD: Annie Qingyi Zhang (Teacher: Hong Liu)
SILVER: Ella Chung (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER: Tinsley Xu (Teacher: Shaoming Greene)
BRONZE: Christopher James Chang (Teacher: Cole Tinney)
BRONZE: Kim Toung Vi Nguyen (Teacher: Ni Liu)

AGE 10 (Adjudicator: Dr. Grace Fong)
GOLD: Molly Wu (Teacher: Anastasia Solomatina)
SILVER: Crystal Jiao (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
SILVER: Isabella Nien (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Kandice Chen (Teacher: Ni Liu)
BRONZE: Miyako Berman (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)

AGE 11 (Adjudicator: Dr. Sohyoung Park)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Alvin Lee (Teacher: SH Youn)
SILVER: Ethan Xu (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
BRONZE: Brandon Yang (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)

AGE 12 (Adjudicator: Margrit Julia Zimmermann)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Lingxi Chen (Teacher: Olga Solomatina)
GOLD: Ru-Shan An (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
GOLD: Zachary Cheng (Teacher: Renato Fabbro)
SILVER: Emily Yuanyuan Lu (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Brian YuHong Wu (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER: Cara Fan (Teacher: Nino Merabishvili)
SILVER: Nathan Wang (Teacher: Yerin Kim)
BRONZE: Lucas Popescu (Teacher: SH Youn)
BRONZE: Hannah Yao (Teacher: Anastasia Solomatina)
BRONZE: Katherine Xiao (Teacher: Anaida Nagdyan)
BRONZE: Harry Zhang (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)

AGE 13 (Adjudicator: Dr. Grace Fong)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Ivy Zheng (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Sydney Cui (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Jimmy Huang (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER: Shashwat Srinivasan (Teacher: Maria Maltseva)
BRONZE: Chi Anne Chen (Teacher: Chia Lin Yang)
BRONZE: Nakrit Rerkratanavaraporn (Teacher: Christopher Janwong McKiggan)

AGE 14 (Adjudicator: Dr. Sohyoung Park)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Colin McHugh (Teacher: Xinzhu Ma)
SILVER: Zhuoxi (Daniel) Lu (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Jonathan Yang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Ariel Chang (Teacher: Chia Lin Yang)
BRONZE: Claire Huang (Teacher: Hanna Cyba)
BRONZE: Claire Zhang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
BRONZE: Emily Liu (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)

AGE 15 (Adjudicator: Margrit Julia Zimmermann)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Albert Zhang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
GOLD: Eric Shao (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Alexander Vollmer (Teacher SH Youn)
SILVER: Angie Wang (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Audrey Cui (Teacher: Adam Aleksander)
SILVER: Jacob Allen Eberlein (Teacher: Marietta Hardy)
BRONZE: Chloe So (Teacher: Chia-Lin Yang)
BRONZE: Emily Wu (Teacher: Grace Yang)
BRONZE: Isabel Yang (Teacher: SH Youn)
BRONZE: Roshni Balajee (Teacher: Amy Zanrosso)

AGE 16 (Adjudicator: Dr. Grace Fong)
GRAND PRIX GOLD: Elizabeth Shen (Teacher: Renato Fabbro)
SILVER: Joel Walter Rice (Teacher: Jensina Oliver)
BRONZE: Phil Yao (Teachers: Ni Liu / Toni McFall)

AGE 17 and older (Adjudicator: Dr. Sohyoung Park)
GOLD: Courtney Tam (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
SILVER: Jason Kwon (Teacher: SH Youn)
BRONZE: HyunJee Jung (Teacher: Arthur Greene)

DUETS, ages 13 and under (Adjudicator: Margrit Julia Zimmermann)
GOLD: Alvin Lee and Lucas Popescu (Teacher: SH Youn)
SILVER: Claire and Ian Kang (Teacher: SH Youn)
SILVER: Yuxin and Yiling Sun (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)
BRONZE: Olivia Kweon and Eliana Cho (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)

DUETS, ages 14 to 18 (Adjudicator: Dr. Grace Fong)
GOLD: Isabel Yang and Hannah Kwon (Teacher: SH Youn)
SILVER: Joyce Ye and Alexander Vollmer (Teachers: SH Youn and Yelena Balabanova)
BRONZE: Jane Kwon and Jason Kwon (Teacher: SH Youn)

CONCERTOS, ages 13 and under (Adjudicator: Dr. Sohyoung Park)
GOLD: Alvin Lee (Teacher: SH Youn)
SILVER: Jane Kwon (Teacher: SH Youn)
BRONZE: Miyako Berman (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)

CONCERTOS, ages 14 to 18 (Adjudicator: Margrit Julia Zimmermann)
GOLD: Alexander Du (Teacher: Olga Solomatina)
SILVER: Alexander Vollmer (Teacher: SH Youn)
BRONZE: Courtney Tam (Teacher: Yelena Balabanova)

About Us
  • 100% of all registration fees from the Pacific NW Piano Competition go directly to Bellevue Symphony. We are an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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      Executive Board

      PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 
BOARD MEMBERS:

      Allan Park, President

      Dr. Adam Aleksander
      1st Vice-President

      Nino Merabishvili
      2nd Vice-President

      Dr. Hanna Cyba, Secretary

      Jeff Elwell, Treasurer

      ARTISTIC ADVISOR:
      Dr. Yelena Balabanova


      ADVISORS
:
      Dr. Natalya Ageyeva
      Dr. Renato Fabbro
      Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis

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