Pianists reach finals in Van Cliburn competition
One of the world's most prestigious classical music competitions will crown its new winner in Fort Worth this weekend.
State of pianists: The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is held in Fort Worth every four years to showcase young musicians considered to be the top emerging talent in the world.
This year's competition featured 28 pianists chosen out of 340 applicants from 45 countries and regions.
Zoom in: The six finalists range from ages 22 to 30, representing Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Russia and the U.S.
Finalist performances start Tuesday and continue Wednesday and Friday nights at Bass Performance Hall. The final concert is Saturday.
The finalists: Los Angeles-born Angel Stanislav Wang, the youngest finalist, comes from a family of musicians and started taking piano lessons when he was 5.
Vitaly Starikov, 30, who is representing Russia and Israel, also comes from a family of musicians and has traveled the world for his recital and chamber music.
Aristo Sham, 29, was featured in a U.K. documentary about the world's greatest musical prodigies and has performed for King Charles.
Philipp Lynov, 26, studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory before moving to Germany.
Carter Johnson, 28, grew up in Canada and is highlighting lesser-known works of Polish composers.
Evren Ozel, 26, debuted at 11 with the Minnesota Orchestra and has been a featured soloist with several U.S. orchestras.
The intrigue: The gold medalist will receive $100,000 and three years of comprehensive career management, including concert tours, an album and performance attire from Neiman Marcus.
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