[Editor’s note: Graduate student and Cliburn finalist YouYou Zhang dropped from the competition in early May for personal reasons.]

Two School of Music students are among the 30 pianists selected to go for the gold in the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition May 24-June 9 in Fort Worth. They are Marcin Koziak, an Artist Diploma student from Poland and YouYou Zhang, a graduate student in piano performance from China and the U.S.

Koziak is a student of Tamás Ungár and Zhang studies with John Owings, both longtime professors in the TCU Piano Program.

Those who have made the cut compete for the coveted $175,000 in prizes and awards, plus three years of career management valued at over $1.3 million.

“We are looking for a true artist who can connect with audiences and touch their hearts,” says Cliburn Interim Executive Director Jacques Marquis. “We give the competitors multiple platforms to present us with their artistic personality and communicative power. The winners will be offered an unparalleled opportunity to build a meaningful concert career, and we are honored to be a part of launching them onto the world stage and celebrating classical music.”

All performances in the competition will be streamed live in their entirety and available on-demand at www.Cliburn.org.