2018 Cooper Competition Field Reduced from 31 Pianists to 16

Each of 31 pianists made exemplary use of their moment in the spotlight as the first round of the 2018 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition was completed in six sessions over two days July 14 and 15 at Oberlin.

Following Sunday's final performance, the jury revealed the names of the 16 musicians who will advance to the competition's second Semifinal Round, which takes place in two sessions (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) on Monday, July 16, in Oberlin's Warner Concert Hall.

They are, in alphabetical order:

Ennian Bai (15), Zhejiang, China
Yangrui Cai (17), Guangzhou, China 
Kai-Min Chang (17), Changhua County, Taiwan
William Chen (15), New York, New York, U.S.
Eric Guo (15), Toronto, Canada
Tyler Kim (15), Temecula, California, U.S.
Yunchan Lim (14), Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Anton Mejias (17), Helsinki, Finland, Finland
Kuisma Sippola (18), Helsinki, Finland 
Arthur Wang (17), Vancouver, Canada
Biguo Xing (18), Beijing, China
William Yang (17), Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.
Yerin Yang (15), Seoul, South Korea
Tony Yun (17), Toronto, Canada
Bo Zhang (17), Hangzhou, China
Ryan Zhu (age 14), Vancouver, Canada

At the conclusion of Monday's Semifinal Round II, the jury will reveal the names of the 10 pianists who will advance to the Concerto Round on Tuesday, July 17. Six of those performers will qualify for the Recital Finals in Oberlin on Wednesday, July 18. The competition culminates in the Concerto Finals on Friday, July 20, as three finalists perform complete concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall in Cleveland. One finalist will emerge as the 2018 Cooper champion—with a grand prize of $20,000.

All Oberlin performances are free and take place in Warner Concert Hall (77 W. College St.) on the beautiful campus of Oberlin College and Conservatory. 

Click here for tickets to the Concerto Finals July 20 at Severance Hall. (Tickets begin at $13, and all students under age 18 are admitted free with a paying adult.)

Can’t be here? Follow the action live online: All preliminary rounds on campus will be live streamed at oberlin.edu/cooper.

Details about the participants, jurors, and schedules for each round can be found at the official Cooper Competition website. Follow the competition on the official Cooper Facebook page.