The finalists of the 70th Maria Canals International Piano Competition of Barcelona 2025 are young international talents selected for their artistic and technical excellence. Through a rigorous competition process, they have demonstrated a high level of musical mastery, and their professional paths reflect a deep commitment to the art of piano. Discover their backgrounds and musical training through their biographies.
Born in Alabama in 2004, Curtis Phill Hsu took up the piano at the age of four. Following his initial participation in the 2014 International Summer Academy, he became fascinated with the city and the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Soon after, he was admitted into the Mozarteum Pre-College for Leopold Mozart Institute’s High Talent Program in 2016 and has been studying with Prof. Andreas Weber ever since. After completing his Bachelor’s degree at the Mozarteum in 2023, Curtis is continuing his Master’s studies at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media under Prof. Arie Vardi.
In 2024, Curtis won the First Prize at the 17th Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, including the Sussex Prize, awarded for the best performance in the semi-finals, the Festival d’Auvers-sur-Oise Prize and The Hastings Fellowship. Following this success, Curtis was invited to give his London debut at Cadogan Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Jac van Steen.
Nejc Kamplet is a Slovenian pianist from a musical family and he completed his piano studies under Dr. Zuzana Niederdorfer at the University of Music in Graz, later he studied with Arie Vardi at the University of Music in Hanover. Aleksandar Madžar: “Nejc is one of the most talented young musicians encountered in the last years. His ease at the piano and feeling for the instrument are quite remarkable, and his technical skills simply stunning… His interpretations of some of the pinnacles of our repertoire are not only technically highly accomplished, but also show a very keen artistic mind and a great deal of serious commitment.”
He has furthered his studies with several world-renowned pianists (Kissin, Rouvier, Berman, Dalibaltayan, Valdma…), performed as a soloist with the Meiningen Court Orchestra; Graz, Harbin, Wuhan, Philharmonic Orchestras; the Slovak Sinfonietta, the SNG Maribor, the RTV, and played recitals at festivals across Europe, in China, Japan, and the United States.
Pin-Hong Lin is pianist and prize-winner in multiple international competitions. He won Second Prize at the 2022 International Philadelphia Piano Competition,the Bronze Medal at the 2024 Wideman Piano Competition, and Third Prize at the 2024 Amadeus Piano Competition in Italy. Lin has also performed with numerous orchestras, including the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and NTNU Festival Orchestra. In addition to his career as a soloist, Pin- Hong Lin actively engages in composition, piano collaboration, and interdisciplinary projects. He was awarded the Best Collaborative Pianist Award by the Association of Vocal Artists of R.O.C. Pin-Hong Lin is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, under the guidance of Norman Krieger.
