The Chinese pianist Yifan Wu has been awarded the 1st Prize of the 65th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano. In the final round, he performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, op. 37 with the Haydn Orchestra conducted by George Pehlivanian. Wu also received the Audience Prize.
The 2nd Prize went to Sandro Nebieridze for his performance of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43, while Christos Fountos won the 3rd Prize, performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, op. 1.
A rising career
Yifan Wu has previously won the Singapore International Piano Competition and the Jacob Flier International Piiano Competition in New York. He has appeared with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and will make his Carnegie Weill Hall debut in March 2025, presented by the Feltsman Piano Foundation. He is also a Steinway Artist.
The jury
The jury of the 2025 finals included pianists Pi-hsien Chen, HieYon Choi, Josu de Solaun, Lucas Debargue, Saskia Giorgini, Peter Jablonski, Sergio Tiempo, and Mariangela Vacatello, together with stage director Sir David Pountney CBE. Pianist Dan Zhaoyi was unable to participate due to personal reasons.
Founded in 1949, the Busoni Competition is among the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, with a tradition of launching the careers of artists such as Martha Argerich, Jörg Demus, and Garrick Ohlsson.
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