2025 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist

Introducing Aristo Sham — Gold Medalist of The Cliburn

Program to be announced 

Aristo Sham’s mother taught piano in their Hong Kong home, so he says: “I was enveloped in the environment of the piano even before I was born.” His parents recall his immense curiosity towards the instrument when he was a toddler and started him in lessons (with another teacher) when he was 3. At the age of 10, he began competing and concertizing. But he also went to regular schools, never making the conscious decision of focusing solely on the piano or his other studies; this made the dual degree program at Harvard and the New England Conservatory a perfect fit when he went to college. He finished his Bachelor of Arts at Harvard in 2019 and master’s at NEC under Victor Rosenbaum in 2020. He then went to the Ingesund School of Music in Sweden to study with Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist before returning to the States to earn an artist diploma at The Juilliard School with Robert McDonald and Orli Shaham.

Aristo was featured in the documentary The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies on Channel 4 (UK) and has performed for royalty, including King Charles. He’s a laureate of international competitions, with first-prize wins at Ettlingen, Gina Bachauer, and Monte Carlo Music Masters, and is on the Young Concert Artists roster. He has concertized across Asia, Europe, and the United States, with major highlights including the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, English Chamber Orchestra under the late Sir Raymond Leppard, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Minnesota Orchestra.

His interests remain varied as he pursues a career as a pianist and lists among them travel, aviation, gastronomy, oenology, and language. “I am incredibly fortunate to have enjoyed vast experiences in life and an extremely varied education, both in music and otherwise; I hope to draw from my expressive, emotional and intellectual capacity, to project an artistic voice and create unique experiences that resonate with our audiences of today.”

Photo by Ralph Lauer, courtesy of The Cliburn

Part of the Admiral Transfer Music Series