by Daniel Hathaway
The last lap in the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists brought the six finalists together with conductor Steven Byess and the Canton Symphony on the stage of Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Friday evening, July 31.
After putting the young musicians through Magic Flute-like trials to test their mettle in solo performances, chamber music, and master classes with Jean-Yves Thibaudet (the latter an innovation designed to assess their adaptability to interpretational suggestions), it was time to hear how they reacted to the real-world scenario of sharing the stage and making music with a conductor and an orchestra. (In consideration of the competitors’ ages, only the first movements of works were performed.)
15-year-old Ryan Huang (Canada/US) led off the Junior Division with the first of two performances of Edvard Grieg’s concerto. Huang gave the work the grand opening it deserves, then brought a rich tone to its flowing lines and visited the variety of mood changes that Grieg embedded in the score, including excursions into dance rhythms. Byess and Huang achieved fine coordination between soloist and orchestra, and when he ventured off on his own, the pianist created a handsome arch during the cadenza.
After Byess and the Canton Symphony set up Frederic Chopin’s First Concerto with a noble account of its lengthy introduction, Jueon Lee, 14, from South Korea took an intimate and beautifully-phrased approach to the solo part. Lee made the twinkling notes of Chopin’s ubiquitous filigree and its busy scalar passages sound easy, and his articulation always made good musical sense.
Yixin Shen, 15, from China, was the third and final competitor in the Junior Division and the second to sign on for the Grieg concerto in the orchestral round. After a fine opening flourish, she reveled in the composer’s catchy syncopation and made sensitive connections to Byess and the orchestra. She could play big or intimate when the music called for contrast, and resisted the temptation to fuss with rhythms and tempos. She constructed a well-built cadenza and landed a nicely-coordinated ending.
17-year-old Chenxu Han led off the Senior Division with a confident, flawless performance of Beethoven’s First Concerto that inspired multiple smiles. (Perhaps the first one came as Han patiently sat with his hands in his lap during the long orchestral introduction, famously parodied in a sketch by Victor Borge, who passed the time before the first solo passage by unwrapping and enjoying a sandwich.) When his moment finally arrived, he brought beautiful phrasing and nuances, sparkling scales, and expressive dynamic contrasts to his job, as well as a thoughtful cadenza.
For a nice change of pace, Spaniard Guillermo Hernández Barrocal, 18, played Robert Schumann’s concerto, beginning with a sweeping opening flourish that led to a masterful building of phrases replete with nuances and dynamic variation. His clean technique never allowed his tone to blur, as he joined Byess and the orchestra in a nicely-paced, finely-coordinated performance. His cadenza was grand.
Last to play was South Korean Yurim Kim, 17, who wrapped up the concerto round with the second traversal of Chopin No. 1. Her bold opening statement matched the grandeur of the lengthy orchestral introduction, and she kept the momentum of long phrases flowing. Playing with clear tone, she made a lovely transition to the B section, then topped her performance with a magical cadenza.
Following this final session, the Jury announced the 2026 Medalists:
Senior Division
Chenxu Han, 17, China
Guillermo Hernández Barrocal, 18, Spain
Yurim Kim, 17, South Korea
Junior Division
Ryan Huang, 15, Canada/United States
Jueon Lee, 14, South Korea
Yixin Shen, 15, China
Rising Star Division (previously announced)
First Place – Wilson Liu, 12, United States
Second Place – Khloe Wu, 11, Canada
Third Place – Ethan Wang, 11, Canada
Published on ClevelandClassical.com August 5, 2026
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