Honens Reveals Finalists Of The 2025 Honens International Piano Competition

 Honens has announced the three Finalists vying for the top prize at the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition, following two rounds of Semifinals from October 16 to 20, during which 10 distinguished Semifinalists participated in solo and chamber recitals at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, Rozsa Centre. The three Finalists are Carter Johnson (29); Élisabeth Pion (29); and Anastasia Vorotnaya (30). They will compete for the title of 2025 Honens Gold Laureate, winning one of the world's largest prizes of its kind-$100,000 CAD and a comprehensive, three-year artistic development and career accelerator program.

The members of the Second Jury, who evaluated the Semifinalists, are Philippe Bianconi, Jenny Bilfield, Janina Fialkowska, Leila Getz, Anne-Marie McDermott, Roberto Plano, and Awadagin Pratt. They will also evaluate Johnson, Pion, and Vorotnaya in the two rounds of Finals, on October 23 and 24, and select the 2025 Honens Gold, Silver, and Bronze Laureates, who will be announced following Finals II on October 24.

"Honens is thrilled to welcome three extraordinary pianists to the Final Rounds," says Honens Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker. "The artistry of each Semifinalist was at the highest level this year. It was especially challenging for the jurors to narrow the group down to three, but the musical insight, performance, and overall brilliance that Carter, Élisabeth, and Anastasia exhibited had a profound impact."

In the first round of Finals, on October 23, Johnson performs Johannes Brahms' Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34; Pion performs César Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14; and Vorotnaya performs Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, each with the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet. In the second round, on October 24, Johnson performs Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16; Pion performs Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26; and Vorotnaya performs Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83, all with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Elias Grandy. Each Finalist also participates in a 30-minute interview with Canadian arts journalist Katherine Duncan. Both rounds take place at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, Werklund Centre.

The pianist who best demonstrates the ideal of Honens' Complete Artist philosophy will be named the 2025 Honens Gold Laureate. The Awards Show follows Finals II; it will be hosted by Katherine Duncan, previous CBC host and producer, and Paolo Pietropaolo, host of In Concert, the award-winning classical music radio program on CBC Music. For all event details and artist biographies, please see the backgrounder.

All tickets are now on sale. For up-to-date information, visit honens.com.