Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham, 29, loves Fort Worth for a number of reasons.
He鈥檚 grateful to the city for serving as his temporary home for three weeks last spring as he developed his craft.
But most importantly, he loves Fort Worth for being the city that changed his career when in early June. He was the first Hong Kong pianist to secure the top prize in the contest鈥檚 .
Nearly four months after his win, the golden pianist returns for a at Kimbell Art Museum Renzo Piano Pavilion on Oct. 1 and 2.
The Cliburn has a long-standing tradition of bringing its most recent winner back to Panther City to perform as the opener of the organization鈥檚 concert season.
鈥淔ort Worth is the place where my life sort of changed overnight,鈥� Sham said. 鈥淚 came out of Fort Worth a completely different person, so I鈥檓 glad to revisit it.鈥�
Jacques Marquis, president and CEO of the Cliburn, said organizers are looking forward to having Sham back for his 鈥淐liburn Concerts鈥� debut since his career has taken off in a strong way with concerts all over the world.
鈥淲e are proud of his success and all the upcoming opportunities for him, and are really happy to welcome him back to Fort Worth, home of the Cliburn,鈥� Marquis said in a statement.
Eric Lee, director of Kimbell Art Museum, said Sham will perform on a piano selected by former Cliburn gold medalist Olga Kern for the Renzo Piano Pavilion鈥檚 opening in 2013.
鈥淲e are proud of his success and all the upcoming opportunities for him, and are really happy to welcome him back to Fort Worth, home of the Cliburn,鈥� Marquis said in a statement.
Eric Lee, director of Kimbell Art Museum, said Sham will perform on a piano selected by former Cliburn gold medalist Olga Kern for the Renzo Piano Pavilion鈥檚 opening in 2013.
Only 10 tickets remained available across the two 鈥淎risto Sham, 2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist鈥� concerts at the Kimbell at publication time. Call the box office at 817-212-4280 to purchase.
Reflecting on golden win
The Cliburn, established in Fort Worth in 1962, is held every four years and considered one of the most prestigious classical music competitions in the world. The competition was founded to at the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
The 2025 Cliburn . Over 18 days and four rounds, the number of competitors dwindled until Sham took home the top $100,000 prize.
Sham鈥檚 live performance recordings from the competition have been streamed more than 1.5 million times, according to the Cliburn.
When Sham thinks back to that moment he was named the winner at Bass Performance Hall, it feels like a blur.
鈥淭hose 10 seconds when I walked up to the stage, it鈥檚 really a black hole in my memory,鈥� he said.
As a result of his win, Sham鈥檚 career will be managed through the Cliburn for three years, including a range of services from booking concerts to mentorship and media training. Earlier this month, he , known for its worldwide management of classical music and opera artists.
In the past two months, Sham has performed more than 15 concerts in several countries, including Poland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States.
鈥淭his prize is really the ticket to doing a lot of these things, which I am so grateful for and so happy about,鈥� he said.
Glimpse into Fort Worth return
For his Kimbell concerts, Sham wants to excite audiences with music from his upcoming album, scheduled for release at the beginning of November. He declined to share more details about his musical release.
He will perform repertoire from his recent tours, which includes composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Ferrucio Busoni and Edvard Grieg.
鈥淭his is really a kaleidoscopic insight that is deeply interesting to listen to,鈥� he said.
Sham never likes to dictate the types of emotions he hopes his audience will feel, but he strives to ensure they 鈥渇eel something.鈥�
鈥淭he arts and music exist because we want to have experiences that are outside of our daily routine,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so lucky to be a conduit for people to get something soul nourishing out of it.鈥�
After his two-night stay in Fort Worth, Sham will spend November through April with long-term goals of establishing himself as a significant figure in the music world beyond his competition win.
鈥淭hese three years will be a bridge for me to be a self-standing entity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Cliburn was the door to open for a career that is meaningful and hopefully will have a long-standing impact.鈥�
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or .
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