Aristo Sham, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist

Thursday • March 5, 2026 • 7:30 pm
Main Auditorium

Pianist Aristo Sham exudes astounding intellect and a deep emotional resonance; a cultivated sophistication and an immediately engaging presence; a penchant to take on the great monuments of the piano repertoire and a natural, infectious spontaneity. This makeup is fueled by a fascination with the world and its rich cultures—he was an international prodigy, is a voracious student of wide-ranging interests, and he currently splits his time between three continents.

At the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Aristo found his breakthrough moment, taking home both the gold medal and the audience award. And the critics showered him with imaginative praise, calling him “a marvel of deft characterization,” “consistently authoritative,” “a card-carrying risk taker,” “a dapper, aristocratic figure on stage,” “a pianist I look forward to hearing again” (The Dallas Morning News, Gramophone and Texas Classical Voice). In just two months’ time, he was mentioned in more than 800 news articles, and his Cliburn performance videos were streamed 2 million times across 125 countries.

Aristo was featured in the 2009 documentary The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies on Channel 4 (UK) and has performed for royalty including King Charles. He has concertized across Asia, Europe and the U.S., with major highlights including the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Minnesota Orchestra. His 2025–26 debut season as Cliburn winner includes a major tour of Asia through Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and South Korea, as well as recitals across the U.S.

Widely considered “one of the most prestigious contests in classical music” (The New York Times, 2022), the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition exists to share excellent classical music with the largest international audience possible and to launch the careers of its winners every four years. Building on a rich tradition that began with its 1962 origins in honor of Van Cliburn and his vision for using music to serve audiences and break down boundaries, the Cliburn seeks, with each edition, to achieve the highest artistic standards, while utilizing contemporary tools to advance its reach. Beyond cash prizes, winning a Cliburn medal means comprehensive career management, artistic support and bolstered publicity efforts for the three years following.