The first Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival announced its winners Sunday night with the first prize going to Alim Beisembayev, 17, of Kazakhstan.
The second prize went to Arsenii Mun, 16, of Russia and the third prize winner was Youlan Ji, 16, from China.
The seven-day competition took place from June 21-28 at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth at Ed Landreth Auditorium.
Beisembayev will receive a cash award of $10,000 cash plus a $2,000 scholarship, while Mun will receive a cash award of $5,000 cash plus a $2,000 scholarship. Ji, the third prize winner, will receive a cash award of $2,500 cash plus a $2,000 scholarship.
Competitors who did not advance to the Final Round were eligible for Special Awards.
The Award for Best Performance of a Classical Sonata, with a cash prize of $500, was awarded to Misha Galant, 17, United States.
The Award for Best Performance of a Lyrical Work, with a cash prize of $500, was awarded to Adam Balogh, 17, Hungary.
Two Jury Discretionary Awards, with a cash prize of $1,000 each, goes to Clayton Stephenson, 16, United States, and Tony Yike Yang, 16, Canada.
The Audience Award winner, Misha Galant, 17, United States, will receive a cash award of $1,000.
The jury also awarded $1,000 each to the three semifinalists: Yukine Kuroki, 16 (Japan), Wei Luo, 16 (China), and Evelyn Mo, 16 (United States).
The initial Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival for 13 to 17-year-old pianists, and saw 23 of the world’s finest young pianists coming to compete in Texas. The competitors hailed from all over the world, representing 13 countries: the United States (9), China (5), Canada, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Tajikistan.
Born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Beisembayev has given recitals in London, Moscow, and Sacile (Italy), and performed with the Svetlanov Orchestra of Moscow, New Russia Orchestra, and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors Mark Gorenstein, Evgeny Bushkov, and Dmitry Liss. Competition credits include third prize at the 2014 International Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar and first prize in the 2008 International Televised Competition for Young Musicians “Nutcracker” in Moscow. Alim began piano lessons at age 5, and moved to the United Kingdom in 2010 to attend the Purcell School for Young Musicians, first studying with Rustem Hayroudinoff and now with Tessa Nicholson. In his spare time, he pursues ballroom dancing, acting, and learning languages.
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