The International Competition Piano Val de Travers, held from February 7 to 9, 2025, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, showcased exceptional young pianistic talent from around the globe. This event, organized by the Association “Les interprètes de demain”aims to promote and support emerging artists in their musical journeys.
The 2025 edition attracted approximately 50 participants across three age categories: Category A (up to 12 years old), Category B (12-15 years old), and Category C (16-25 years old). The competition commenced with an online preselection round, after which selected finalists were invited to perform in Neuchâtel. The final stages took place at the Neuchâtel Conservatory and the historic Temple du Bas, providing contestants with the opportunity to perform in esteemed venues.
As a result, in Category A (until 12 y.o.) Yulianna Beziazychna (Holland) received the 1st prize, Maximilian Hongcheng Zhu (Germany) and Teodor Vujanic (Serbia) received 2nd prize, Stephen Chen (US) received the 3rd prize. Ellie Bauwens (Switzerland), Ieva Skarulskytė (Lituania), Liia Tsvietkova (Ukraine), Felix Suo (Australia), were DIPLOMANTS. Yulianna Beziazychna (Holland) RECEIVED Special prize “Young virtuose” and Maximilian Hongcheng Zhu (Germany) received a special prize For the best performance of a Contemporary piece by Martin Herchenröder
As a result, in Category B (12-15 y.o.), Zhen Zixi (China) and Linda Yuan (Germany) received the 2nd PRIZE, Raphael Bollengier (Switzerland), Jonathan Ng (Switzerland) received the 3rd Prize. Alexandre Resende (Brazil) received Prix “Coup de coeur” du Conservatoire neuchâtelois pour sa creation originale. Yuxin Huang (Germany), Giovanni Reggio (Italy), Ziling Huang (China), Alexandre Resende (Brazil), Haobo Zhuang (China) received the DIPLOMA. Jonathan Ng (Switzerland) received the EMCY Prize.
As a result, in Category C (16-25 y.o.), Oliver Hak (Poland) received the 1st PRIZE, Linxi Chen (China) received the 2nd prize, Povilas Norkūnas (Lithuania) and Bobby Cheng (Hong Kong) received the DIPLOMA. Moreover, Oliver Hak (Poland) received a Special prize solo recital in the hall “Grange aux ours 2025” ( France) and a Solo recital next year at the WEpiano festival in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Bobby Cheng (Hong Kong) received a Special prize « Val de Travers » solo recital at the Festival de la Chapelle à Couvet in 2025.
