
HK enjoys top music education: Aristo Sham
HK enjoys top music education: Aristo Sham
Aristo Sham said music teaching in Hong Kong is among the best in the world. Photo courtesy of the Cliburn Competition website.
Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham says he is honoured to put Hong Kong on the global culture map by showing the world that the city is able to cultivate high-level artists.
The remark came after Sham won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a top classical music contest held every four years in the United States.
Speaking at a virtual press conference on Thursday, Sham described the competition as the 'end-game' for him.
'It's one of these competitions that really set you up for life. Whatever you want to do in your career, if you win a prize, it really gives you such an opportunity and also such a platform on a global scale,' he said.
Sham said music teaching in Hong Kong is among the best in the world.
'I would say that studying music in Hong Kong is at a very high level internationally. The music education, especially at a young age, in Hong Kong is really at the highest level globally, there are very few places that can provide as solid and as high level of a foundation,' he said.
Sham also said every musician and performer requires global exposure and knowledge from different cultures.
'It's great that Hongkongers have the opportunity to study overseas, and with the fact that they are able to have such a great foundation in Hong Kong, I think there are a lot of opportunities for success,' he said.
Sham thanked Hong Kong people for their support, saying he is glad to be able to perform in the city on August 30 as the first stop of a concert tour in Asia.
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RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
HK enjoys top music education: Aristo Sham
HK enjoys top music education: Aristo Sham Aristo Sham said music teaching in Hong Kong is among the best in the world. Photo courtesy of the Cliburn Competition website. Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham says he is honoured to put Hong Kong on the global culture map by showing the world that the city is able to cultivate high-level artists. The remark came after Sham won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a top classical music contest held every four years in the United States. Speaking at a virtual press conference on Thursday, Sham described the competition as the 'end-game' for him. 'It's one of these competitions that really set you up for life. Whatever you want to do in your career, if you win a prize, it really gives you such an opportunity and also such a platform on a global scale,' he said. Sham said music teaching in Hong Kong is among the best in the world. 'I would say that studying music in Hong Kong is at a very high level internationally. The music education, especially at a young age, in Hong Kong is really at the highest level globally, there are very few places that can provide as solid and as high level of a foundation,' he said. Sham also said every musician and performer requires global exposure and knowledge from different cultures. 'It's great that Hongkongers have the opportunity to study overseas, and with the fact that they are able to have such a great foundation in Hong Kong, I think there are a lot of opportunities for success,' he said. Sham thanked Hong Kong people for their support, saying he is glad to be able to perform in the city on August 30 as the first stop of a concert tour in Asia.


South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Thank you, Hong Kong, says pianist Aristo Sham after historic Van Cliburn competition win
Aristo Sham Ching-tao, the first pianist from Hong Kong to win the gold medal in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, has expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support he received from the city following his victory in one of the world's toughest and most prestigious music competitions. Speaking from New York, Sham said: 'I am overwhelmed by the support in Hong Kong since the news of my win . I really did not expect that.' Born in Hong Kong, he left to study overseas at the age of 14, but remains closely connected to the city despite spending much of his time abroad. 'Nowadays, I am mostly based in New York and spend time in Sweden, where I studied with a professor since 2017, and come back to Hong Kong three to four times a year because my parents are [t]here,' he said at a news conference. Aristo Sham speaking in an online news conference on June 12, 2025. Photo: The Cliburn Sham said he had a tough time during the Covid-19 pandemic when concerts were cancelled and he had visa issues because of to different countries' border restrictions. He credits his decision to study at The Juilliard School in New York 2023 for the career restart that made him feel he was ready for the Van Cliburn competition.


South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong pianist hits right note for home-grown talent
Talent is a precious commodity in the search for drivers of economic growth, and Hong Kong is at the forefront when it comes to competing for the gifted. Its talent admission schemes attract tens of thousands of new residents on initial visas. As well as being a magnet for talents, it is nice for the city to be seen to nurture those of its own. Advertisement An example is Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham Ching-tao, who has just won the 2025 edition of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, putting him on track for global stardom. Sham, 29, is the first pianist from the city to win the event, named after a famous American pianist and held once every four years in Fort Worth in the US state of Texas. Sham started on the piano at three with his mother, a piano teacher, at home in Hong Kong and began competing internationally at 10 while attending Diocesan Boys' School and studying at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. One thing that sets him apart as a talent is that he chose subjects other than music when he studied at London's Harrow School, before moving to the United States, where he graduated from Harvard University with an economics degree and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory. Advertisement Sham already tours extensively, playing with the London Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra among others. One of his teachers at the arts academy, Professor Eleanor Wong, said his achievement would inspire the next generation of young musicians from the city.