Hilton Head International Piano Competition Announces 2025 Winners

HILTON HEAD INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION ANNOUNCES 2025 WINNERS FOLLOWING MARCH 17 FINALE

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 27th Competition in 29 years showcases 19 pianists from 10 countries, ranging in age from 18-30, competing for $43,000 in cash, plus a Carnegie Hall recital, a recording on the Steinway & Sons label, and numerous performance prizes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Please Contact: Steven Shaiman, Director, HHIPC, 843-842-5880, sshaiman@hhso.org

April 17, 2025 – The Hilton Head International Piano Competition (HHIPC) completed its 27^th competition since 1996 on Monday, March 17 with the fourth and final round featuring three finalists performing a different piano concerto with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro John Morris Russell.  At the awards ceremony later that evening, the jury awarded first prize ($20,000, plus numerous other prizes) to 29-year-old American pianist Jonathan Mamora, who performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.  Second prize ($10,000) was given to 24-year-old Polish pianist Piotr Alexewicz, who played Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and third prize ($5,000) was awarded to 23-year-old Croatian pianist Jan Nikovich, who played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.  Medalist prizes ($2,000) were awarded to three semifinalists: Dominic Chamot (age 29, from Switzerland/Germany), Jiarui Cheng (age 26, from China), and Hyunjin Roh (age 24, from South Korea).

Mr. Mamora, an Indonesian-American pianist from Southern California, also wins numerous additional prizes with his impressive victory in Hilton Head, including: an October 2025 recital at Weill Recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City; a return engagement with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Russell in April 2026; a studio recording on the Steinway & Sons label; management services for up to three years provided by HHIPC Director, Steven Shaiman; and numerous performance prize engagements provided by the HHIPC’s artistic partners in South Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin (orchestras, music festivals and recital series).

Mr. Mamora was selected as the winner by a jury panel of internationally renowned pianists and pedagogues, including: jury chair Simone Dinnerstein (USA);  Marina Lomazov (Ukraine/USA; who is also a former HHIPC winner); HaeSun Paik  (South Korea);  Peter Takács (Romania/USA); Terrence Wilson (USA); Amy Yang (China/USA); and Wei-Yi Yang (Taiwan/USA). 

The HHIPC 2025 began on Monday, March 10, with 19 pianists ranging from age 18 to 30, representing 10 different countries.  Each competitor performed two rounds of short solo recitals at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, after which the jury selected six semifinalists to advance to round 3, which took place on Saturday, March 15.  Those six pianists each performed a 50-minute recital in the semifinals at First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head, following which the jury narrowed the field to three finalists, each of whom performed a full piano concerto with the HHSO on Monday night, March 17.  The awards ceremony was held immediately after the finals concert, with announcement of the prizes by the jury chair Simone Dinnerstein and HHIPC Director, Steven Shaiman.

Director Shaiman, says, "We congratulate Jonathan on his outstanding performances throughout this competition, and we are particularly excited to welcome him as our new first prize winner, since this is actually his third time competing at the HHIPC!  We first heard him here in Hilton Head at only age 14 in 2011—which was our inaugural Young Artist competition—and he also competed in 2022, so the third time was the charm for him to win the whole thing!  I am excited to get to work with Jonathan going forward to help him advance his burgeoning career.  I’m also thrilled that the performance level by all 19 pianists was staggeringly high, so, on behalf of the HHIPC and our eminent jury, we congratulate all of the competitors and prize winners! “

In addition to the prizes already mentioned, two additional discretionary awards were also announced at Monday night’s ceremony.  The first was the Sascha Gorodnitzki Memorial Prize, a jury discretionary award given to the “most promising non-finalist,” with a trophy and a $1,000 check given to semi-finalist Jiarui Cheng.  The second was the Jim Neumeister Memorial Prize, given to the artist who gave the “best performance of the commissioned work” in the first two rounds of the competition, and that trophy and $1,000 check was awarded to semi-finalist Dominic Chamot.

The commissioned work was written specifically for the 2025 HHIPC by prominent American composer Lowell Liebermann, which he entitled Moment Musical, Op. 144.  All 19 competitors were required to learn the piece and perform it in one of their two early recital rounds.  Director Shaiman, added, "Many elite competitions commission new works to showcase music by living composers, and I decided that this was a priority for the 2025 HHIPC.  This was a special challenge for the competitors and also exciting for our sophisticated audiences, since we essentially heard 19 world premiere performances of Lowell’s captivating ‘Musical Moment.’  I am delighted that our very first competition commission turned out so beautifully, and I am grateful to Lowell for writing it.  I must also thank him for his time and attention to select the winner of the Neumeister Memorial prize, since only the composer himself could make that determination of who brought the piece to life in a way that was closest to his artistic vision!”

HHSO Music Director John Morris Russell added, “The HHIPC is a jewel in the cultural crown of the Lowcountry, and I as excited as I was to work with all three remarkable finalists performing with the orchestra, I am eagerly looking forward to welcoming Jonathan back to play a concerto with us in spring 2026!”

About the Hilton Head International Piano Competition:  The Hilton Head International Piano Competition, one of the leading international piano competitions in the United States, operates with a three-year rotation of events: an adult competition for pianists 18–30 years of age, a young artist competition for pianists 13–17 years of age, and a festival—BravoPiano!—which showcases past prize winners and other prominent keyboard artists performing music ranging from classical to jazz.  The HHIPC, inaugurated by the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in 1996, draws applicants, artists, and audiences from numerous countries the world over, and many HHIPC artists are now enjoying thriving professional careers. 

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Please contact Steve Shaiman for more details and/or photos and other graphic images: sshaiman@hhso.org or 843-842-5880.

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