2025 EDITION
The second edition of Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition
- 22–26 September 2025
- Bucharest, Romania
About the 2025 Edition
A second chapter in the celebration of Dinu Lipatti’s legacy
The Second Edition of the Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition took place from 22 to 26 September 2025 in Bucharest, Romania, continuing the competition’s mission to support young pianists and promote artistic excellence on an international stage.
The edition brought together gifted candidates, distinguished musicians, cultural partners, and audiences united by a shared appreciation for classical music and the legacy of Dinu Lipatti.
Through its competition rounds, jury evaluation, and public performances, the 2025 edition strengthened the identity of the competition as a platform dedicated to musical integrity, technical mastery, and expressive depth.
DATES
REGISTRATION
LOCATION
APPLICATION FEE
VENUE
ELIGIBILITY
PRIZES
Excellence will be rewarded
“Ne vous servez pas de la musique, servez-la.”
Dinu Lipatti
First Prize
A distinction honoring exceptional talent, artistic maturity, and the promise of a remarkable musical path.
Second Prize
An award celebrating a strong artistic voice, refined musicianship, and a significant achievement in the competition.
Third Prize
A recognition of dedication, discipline, and musical excellence, marking an important step in the artist’s development.
Special Prizes
In addition to the main awards, the 2025 edition included special distinctions and opportunities designed to support artistic visibility and future development.
- Price of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania
- The Prize for the Best-Ranked Romanian Pianist;
- Special Prize "Valentin Gheorghiu"
- Concerts with selected Romanian Philharmonic Orchestras;
Timetable & Repertoire
The Path to the Final
Online Round
14–24 August 2025
Repertoire
Maximum duration: 20 minutes
A programme of the candidate’s choice, including:
- one work selected from the First Round repertoire;
- one free-choice work selected from the entire Competition repertoire.
Candidates submitted a video recording of the required repertoire for this round. The recording had to include the name and surname of the candidate and the titles of the works performed.
The video recording could not be more than 6 months old at the time of application and had to be uploaded as a YouTube link, either public or unlisted.
Editing the works performed in the video recording in any form was strictly forbidden. Sound and image quality were the sole responsibility of the candidate.
The recording had to be made with a static camera, so that both the candidate’s face and hands could be seen.
Any video recording that did not comply with these rules resulted in the rejection of the application.
The results of the Online Round were announced on 28 August 2025.
The drawing took place online and determined the candidates’ order for the First Round.
Each candidate received all details regarding the online procedure by email.
Order Drawing
30 August 2025
First Round
22–23 September 2025
National University of Music Bucharest
A maximum of 40 candidates were selected for the First Round.
Repertoire
Maximum duration: 25 minutes
A programme of the candidate’s choice, including either of the following:
- one virtuoso etude by Frédéric Chopin or Franz Liszt;
- one sonata by Joseph Haydn or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, without repeats.
Semifinal
24–25 September 2025
Final & Award Gala
26 September 2025
THE JURY
An international panel dedicated to artistic excellence
The 2025 edition brought together a distinguished jury of acclaimed musicians, professors, and performers, entrusted with evaluating each candidate’s technical command, stylistic understanding, artistic individuality, and musical depth. Their experience and artistic authority contributed to a rigorous evaluation process, while supporting the competition’s mission to honour Dinu Lipatti’s legacy and encourage the next generation of pianists.
Martin
Hughes
Dana
Borșan
Antonio di
Cristofano
Philippe
Dinkel
Daniel
Gioți
Albert
Mamriev
Denis
Pascal
Mihai
Ungureanu
Xiao-Mei
Zhu
RESULTS
Meet the winners of the Second Edition
The results of the 2025 edition celebrate the pianists who distinguished themselves through artistic maturity, technical command, and musical depth throughout the competition rounds.
First Prize
Ivan Shemchuk
Second Prize
Wen Ruogu
Third Prize
Nagy Antoniu
Special Prizes
The “Jean Mihail” Prize for the best-ranked Romanian pianist
INYA-MARIA CUTOVA
The UCMR Prize for the best performance of a Romanian work
KIM YE-EUN
The “Valentin Gheorghiu” Prize
XIN KONGYAN
The “Johannes Brahms” Prize of the Brahmsgesellschaft Baden-Baden
OKADA KOJIRO
and
XIN KONGYAN
Gallery
Moments from the 2025 edition
A selection of images from the Second Edition of the Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition, featuring participants, jury members, performances, and moments from the Award Gala.
Organizer & Partners
A competition supported by cultural commitment
The Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition is made possible through the work of its organizer and the support of cultural institutions, artistic partners, sponsors, and organizations that share a commitment to classical music and young artistic talent.
Organizer
FUNDAȚIA CULTURALĂ “PRO ARTE”
Partners
ARGERICH - ALINK FOUNDATION
