Announcement of 2023 Piano Star Grand Finalists

By Piano League

(11/21 Update: two additional grand finalists were added after the announcement. Read our full statement and explanation here.)

We are thrilled to announce the grand finalists of the 2023 Piano Star International Competition. In conjunction with this announcement, we’d like to offer some insights into the selection criteria that have been an essential part of our competition’s framework.

About the Percentile Ranking System:

The introduction of the in-person location, with its own judging panel, presented a unique challenge. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation process, we implemented the percentile ranking system from the start. This system is designed to facilitate equitable comparisons of each contestant within their own group and location, rather than across varied judging environments. It’s a vital measure for upholding fairness in a competition that now spans different regions, guaranteeing a level playing field for all contestants.

Decision to Remove the Minimum Percentile Rule:

Following the final round, we revisited our selection process and decided to remove the ‘minimum percentile’ rule. This rule initially aimed to limit the grand finalists to the top 20% of each group. However, we recognized the need to honor a broader array of talents, particularly considering the exceptional quality of this year’s performances. By lifting this restriction, we are including more performers who meet our ‘minimum score’ requirement, thus acknowledging a wider range of skilled participants who have demonstrated excellence. This adjustment is in line with our pre-set limits of up to 8 grand finalists for groups A and B, and up to 6 for groups C, D, and E.

As you explore the list of grand finalists, we hope you share in our excitement and pride in these remarkable pianists. We extend our gratitude for your ongoing support and understanding, and congratulate all our participants for their extraordinary efforts and dedication. The journey of each grand finalist is a testament to their incredible talent and dedication, and we look forward to their impressive performances in the Grand Final Round.

Excellence of 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 (in last name alphabetical order):

Jennifer Apsel
Pornphan Orn Banternghansa
Ernest Barretta
Donna Bender
Michael Berkovsky
Jessica Caporizzo
Carol Chuang
Karina Maucha Cohen
Ran Dank
Elena Fomicheva
Robin Freund-Epstein
Natsuki Fukasawa
Matt Hagle
Rosanne Halin
Sandra Hebert
Kristina Henckel
Timothy Hoft
Kwanchanok Isarathikul
Yu-Hui Jen
Xiaoxiao Ji
Sherry Kim
Sun Min Kim
Martin Labazevitch
Julia Lam
Soo Young Lee
Brian Yuebing Lin
Estelle Lin
Chiu-Tze Lin
Igor Lipinski
Hanbo Liu
Langning Liu
Yang Liu
Graziella Jasmine Lovell
Julian Martin
Alex McDonald
Christopher Janwong Mckiggan
Miroslava Mintcheva
Fidel Rodolfo Castro Montalvan
Joyce Ng
Nobuyo Nishizaka
Irina Novikova
Bo Pang
Allan Park
Hyun-Sook Park
Nina Polonsky
Thawanhathai Rujichaitammakul
Kathleen Stephenson Sadoff
Lara Saldanha
Sean Schulze
Jia Shi
Jenny Shin
Ruta Smedina-Starke
Coral Solomon-Berkovsky
Jennifer Mihee Song
Yukimi Song
Sasha Starcevich
Jasmine Lee Steadman
Mary Elizabeth Stephenson
Jinwei Sun
Amy Sze
Mariko Takeda
Golda Tatz
Lora Tchekoratova
Michael Thomopoulos
Kostyantyn Travinskyy
George Vandikas
Llewellyn Sanchez Werner
Qian Yin
Yuko Yoshida
Janet Yu
Qi Zhang