WC International Piano Competition winners announced

The final round of the fifth annual Weatherford College International Piano Competition was held Saturday, April 22, in the Alkek Fine Arts Center with 12 skilled musicians showcasing their talents.  

A total of 80 artists from around the world submitted entries to the competition.  

Performers in the final round were judged by Boris Slutsky from the Yale School of Music, Sean Yow Chen from the University of Misssour-Kansass City and Andrey Ponochevny from Southern Methodist University.  

Carter Johnson from Yale School of Music took first place with a $3,500 prize and a solo recital at WC to be announced later.  

Artem Kuznesov from Park University placed second and earned a $2,000 prize, and Chengcheng Yao from the Peabody Conservatory placed third and earned $1,500.  

Judge’s Discretionary Awards which include a $500 prize went to Karina Tseng from the Eastman School of Music, Aaron Kurtz from the San Francisco Conservatory and Hin Sing Au from the Cleveland Institute of Music.  

In the case where a judge represents the same university as a contestant, that judge recuses themselves from scoring.  

Recordings from the final round are available to watch on the WC YouTube channel at the following links: 2023 WCIPC Final Round Part 1 2023 WCIPC Final Round Part 2 2023 WCIPC Award Ceremony & Master Class.