2025 Pacific International Piano Competition

Mobirise

2025 Pacific International Piano Competition

COMPETITION DIRECTORS:
Dr. Adam Aleksander
Dr. Hanna Cyba

2025 ADJUDICATORS:
Dr. Sohyoung Park
Dr. Grace Fong

REGISTRATION ENDS WHEN 120 PIANISTS ARE REGISTERED. No waitlist.

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.

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

  • YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75
  • YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90

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.
YouTube video link of 5 minutes or less: Registration Fee: $75
YouTube video link of 6-10 minutes: Registration Fee: $90

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.

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.

YouTube user account must be anonymous and cannot identify the teachers of the performers.

If performing more than one movement, 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: 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.

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.

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.
    Get In Touch
      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

      Social Contact

      Our Sponsor