Michael Davidman takes first prize at the 2025 American Piano Awards

Michael Davidman takes first prize at the 2025 American Piano Awards

Given every four years to support an exceptionally gifted young classical pianist, the award is valued at $200,000 and includes a recording contract with Steinway & Sons, two years of career advancement and support, performance opportunities, and a $25,000 cash prize

INDIANAPOLIS – Monday, April 7, 2025 – American Piano Awards has named 28-year-old Michael Davidman, the 2025 American Piano Awards winner, recipient of the Christel DeHaan Fellowship and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis. Michael Davidman receives career support valued at more than $200,000, including two years of career management and public relations assistance, a media tour, an artist residency at the University of Indianapolis, a recording contract with the Steinway & Sons record label, and performance engagements across the country. In addition, Michael Davidman will embark on a recital tour during the 2026–27 season, as well as performances with American Piano Awards' partner orchestras: the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Michael Davidman as the 50th winner of the American Piano Awards," said President and CEO Christopher Williams. "Michael's artistry, vision, and commitment to excellence embody everything this award stands for. It’s an honor to support such a remarkable talent at this pivotal moment in their career, and we can’t wait to see the extraordinary impact they’ll have on the world of music.”

All five finalists — Michael Davidman, Avery Gagliano, Sasha Kasman Laude, Elliot Wuu and Angie Zhang — were selected via blind audition from more than 40 industry professionals' nominations.

The Finals were emceed by 2021 American Piano Awards Laureate Dominic Cheli and soprano / media personality Angela Brown and livestreamed on YouTube, tonebase and The Violin Channel. 

“We are truly excited about this partnership,” said University of Indianapolis President Dr. Tanuja Singh. “It presents an incredible opportunity for our students to engage with some of the most outstanding piano talent in the country. I can’t think of a better partner than the American Piano Awards to help inspire and elevate the next generation of musicians.”

Michael Davidman’s repertoire included:

Solo recital
J.S. Bach | Toccata in D Major, BWV 912
César Franck | Prélude, Choral et Fugue
Camille Saint-Saëns | Danse macabre (arr. Franz Liszt, Vladimir Horowitz)

Intermission
W.A. Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467

Classical @ The Jazz Kitchen
Nikolai Kapustin I “Toccatina” from 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40
Carolina Cardoso de Menezes  I “Rosas amarelas para uma pianista” (1987) by Carolina Cardoso de Menezes
Michael Abels I “Iconoclasm” (2017)

Chamber Music concert with Dover Quartet:
Steven R. Gerber  I “Cocktail Music (Song without Words)”
Brittany J. Green I “daffodils” by
Sergei Taneyev  I Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 30 

Concerto Night:
Rachmaninoff I Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

The 2025 competition also featured a new American Piano Awards commission by Brittany J. Green called "daffodils," which was performed by each of the finalists during their solo recitals. Previous commissions include works from Laura Kamensky, Judith Zaimont, Lowell Liebermann, Augusta Read Thomas, Earl Wild, Lisa Bielawa, Missy Mazzoli, Sarah Kirkland Snider and others.

ABOUT MICHAEL DAVIDMAN
2025 American Piano Awards winner and Manhattanite Michael Davidman, 28, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. He is currently studying with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid. Michael maintains a promising performance schedule and continues to pursue his passion for classic opera, publishing regularly to his PucciniMD YouTube page.

ABOUT AMERICAN PIANO AWARDS 
Every two years (alternating between jazz and classical), five of America’s top young pianists compete in the American Piano Awards for career-launching prizes. Each finalist — already the winner of a $25,000 cash prize — competes for the prestigious Christel DeHaan Fellowship, given every four years to an American classical pianist at the conclusion of the 13-month competition. Previous winners include Kenny Broberg, Drew Petersen, Sean Chen, Grace Fong, Spencer Myer, Frederic Chiu and Sara Davis Buechner, among others.  

Individual visits to Indianapolis were made by each pianist over the last five months, culminating in the finals week of 2025. All five returned to the city for events that resulted in the naming of the winner of the 2025 American Piano Awards, an award worth over $200,000, and the Christel DeHaan Fellowship in Classical.

For more information on the American Piano Awards, please visit www.pianoawards.org