Announcing the grand finalists of the fifth annual Piano Star International Competition✨
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s grand finalists – contestants competed in final rounds this past weekend, November 16-17, both virtually and in-person in New York and Thailand.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR OUR GRAND FINALISTS?
The Grand Finals will be live-streamed on our Youtube and Facebook pages on December 14-15, 2024. More information to follow if you want to listen to the grand finalists’ recordings that weekend.
FINAL ROUND SCORING/RANKING
Percentile ranking | Percentile ranking ensures fairness by evaluating contestants relative to their peers within the same group. This method accounts for differences in group sizes and scoring patterns, providing an equitable way to select grand finalists.
Why we use the PL Star Score | The PL Star Score ensures clarity and fairness by rounding scores to one decimal place. This removes minor differences—like 9.16 vs. 9.10—that do not meaningfully affect performance quality. It prioritizes overall performance while accounting for natural variations in judges’ scoring styles.
Why we round down | In the Final Round, awards are tied to specific thresholds:
– First Prize: 9.5 and above
– Second Prize: 9.0–9.5
– Third Prize: 8.5–8.9
By rounding down, we ensure that a score truly meets the threshold for each award. For example, 8.97 rounds to 8.9, aligning with the third prize category. This method applies consistent standards and prevents subjective decisions about near-threshold scores.
For a full explanation of our grand finalist selection methodology, click here.
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS
Behind every contestant is a hard-working teacher. We would like to recognize the following teachers whose students had a PL Star Score of 9.0 or above in either the Preliminary Round or the Final Round:
Alice Yeung, Allan Park, Ariel Yang, Benita Meshulam, Bo Pang, Brian Yuebing Lin, Carol Chuang, Carol Wong, Chanel Wang, Chaojeng Yu, Chin-Chuan Chang, Christine Luo, Christopher Janwong Mckiggan, Cindy Lee, Dmitri Nazarenko, Elena Fomicheva, Elena Nezhdanova, Ernest Barretta, Fan-Chiang Yi, Fidel Rodolfo Castro Montalván, Gerardo Teissonnière, Golda Vainberg-Tatz, Grace Kim, Gun Chaikittiwatana, Hanbo Liu, Hang Li, Hyun-Sook Park, Ikumi Hiraiwa, Irina Dvoynoy, Jennifer Apsel, Jenny Shin, Jinwei Sun, Junying Tang, Karina Maucha Cohen, Kathleen Sadoff, Kazuko Adachi, Koranit Dhanachoksiri, Kristina Henckel, Li Meng, Margarita Nuller, Marina Alekseyeva, Michael Berkovsky, Michael Thomopoulos, Minlun Shi, Nardvadee Suthisomboon, Natsuki Fukasawa, Nina Polonsky, Pattera Sutanthavibul, Phanuwat Sripramodya, Pornphan Banternghansa, Puneet Sharma, Qi Zhang, Robin Freund-Epstein, Sherry Kim, Sun-A Park, Surojeet Chatterji, Thanasita Fu, Thawanhathai Rujichaitammakul, Timothy Hoft, Xiaoxiao Ji, Xinqiu Huang, Xue Feng, Yezhou Tan, Yi-Heng Yang, Yinfei Wang, Younggun Kim, Yukimi Song
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS FROM LAST WEEKEND’S FINAL ROUNDS
With both virtual and in-person rounds, we wanted to show the expansion of this year’s competition – and what the competition environment looked like across different locations. The below pictures include those from virtual competition rooms, on-site in New York, and on-site in Thailand.
GRAND FINALISTS, PERCENTILE RANKS, AND PL STAR SCORES BY AGE GROUP ARE AS FOLLOWS
GROUP A
GROUP B
GROUP C
GROUP D
GROUP E
The Piano Star International Competition is a global platform for young artists to gain exposure and experience in professional, competitive environments, receive valuable feedback from industry-leading judges, and compete for cash prizes, scholarships, titles, and more. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities – and let the music begin!
Need more information or have any questions? Email us at pi*******@th************.com.
