by Mike Telin
We all know the names of the superstar pianists who regularly grace the stages of the world’s famous concert halls. But what they have in common is that they were all once young musicians honing their skills in hopes of having a career that would lead them to those renowned venues.
Beginning on Friday, July 24 and continuing through Saturday, August 1, you can hear thirteen superstars in the making when Piano Cleveland presents the 2026 edition of Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. All sessions will be held at the Cleveland Institute of Music. To view a list of contestants, jury members, the complete schedule, and to purchase tickets, click here.
Those who have followed CIPC for Young Artists in the past will notice some changes this year, beginning with the inclusion of the Rising Star division. “The Competition has been attracting the most brilliant young artists,” Piano Cleveland artistic director Yaron Kohlberg said during a telephone conversation. “We want to be able to compare apples to apples as much as possible and I think having the Rising Star (ages 10 to 12), Junior (ages 13 to 15), and Senior divisions (ages 16 to 18), will allow contestants to compete against those who are at a similar stage in their artistic development.”
Kohlberg pointed out that the this year’s Chamber Music Round will be part of the semi-finals rather than the finals. “We think it’s extremely important for young artists’ development to know how to collaborate with other people. And because everyone in all three divisions will perform a solo recital and chamber music, the jury will have a better understanding of who the contestants are.”
During the Chamber Music Round participants will be collaborating with violinist Jinjoo Cho and cellist Max Geissler from ENCORE Chamber Music Institute.
During a separate telephone conversation, Piano Cleveland chief executive officer Marissa Glynias Moore said the organization is always reimagining how competitions can better serve the participants. “We’re looking for aspects of competitions that are missing that could make them more powerful for the young artists who are dedicating hours of practice time to be a part of an event like ours. So it’s important to us to think carefully about the kinds of value that we are providing for them pedagogically, artistically, musically, and their experience in Cleveland as a whole. So we wanted to create an event that would allow the contestants to share a little bit about themselves using a structure that is familiar to them.”
This year the finalists in the Junior and Senior divisions will participate in a Masterclass Round led by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. “This is an age group where masterclasses play an important role in their development,” Moore said. “A lot of times people are deciding what universities to go to and who they’re going to study with because of how they engage in masterclasses. So we thought it would be important to bring that into the competition.”
Moore said they’re honored to have Thibaudet leading the masterclasses. “When we thought about who the right artist would be, we wanted to work with somebody who already has a relationship with the competition. And he’s unique in that he doesn’t give a lot of masterclasses, so he’s not someone the contestants might have previously worked with.”
How will this work? Each finalist will play a six to eight-minute piece of their choice after which they will work with Thibaudet and then have the opportunity to play the piece again.
“We know that at this stage of the young artist development one tiny comment from a prominent musician can have immediate impact on their level of playing,” Kohlberg said. “So we are trying to observe how fast they can adapt to change by getting guidance from one of the leading artists of our time. It will tell the jury, as well as the audience, a lot about the kind of artists they are.”
Kohlberg said that the Competition is extremely lucky to be able to bring Jean-Yves Thibaudet back to Cleveland. “I’m not sure a lot of people know that one of the major milestones at the beginning of his career was his second prize at the 1979 Casadesus Competition (its name prior to becoming the Cleveland International Piano Competition), and that made a big impact on him and his career.”
On Thursday July 30 in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum if Art, Jean-Yves Thibaudet will perform the complete Debussy Preludes. Tickets are available online. “When I was eleven years old, one of the first CDs my parents purchased for me was Thibaudet playing the Debussy Preludes,” Kohlberg recalled. “We let him choose the program he wanted to play, but when he said the Preludes, it was, at least for me, going back so many years. I think that he is one of the most amazing performers of the music of Debussy, especially the Preludes, so it will be an extraordinary experience.”
CIPC for Young Artists will conclude with the six Junior and Senior Division Finalists performing concerto movements with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Byess. The Rising Star Division First Prize winner will perform at the conclusion of the performance, followed by the announcement of Junior and Senior Division medalists. “This is the pinnacle event,” Kohlberg said, “and it is similar to what we have done in the past.”
Running concurrently with the Competition is the Cleveland International Piano Institute for ages thirteen to eighteen. “Many of the participants are people who had applied to the competition along with some people who applied only for the institute,” Kohlberg said, “so we actually had a strict selection — we couldn’t accept everybody, so we are expecting a very high level of playing.” Participants will be mentored by faculty from CIM, as well as jury members from the Competition.
This year also features a residency at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “We always have our contestants going out into the community playing free recitals,” Moore said. “Because we also have the Institute we thought it was a wonderful opportunity to do a little takeover every day at noon. So we will be presenting free lunchtime concerts for about two weeks right underneath the dinosaur. It’s a good way for them to get some performance experience and for us to be able to provide free programming to the community.”
Published on ClevelandClassical.com July 22, 2026
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