The Australian National Piano Award has announced the finalists for this year’s competition, which will take place in Shepparton, Victoria, in October. The finalists are Anthony Chen, Paul Cheung, Timothy Chiang, Matthew Garvie, Joshua Hooke, Bowen Li, Rachael Lin, Ruby Luck, Yasmin Rowe, Raymond Shon and Alex Zhang. Several of the pianists are no stranger to the biennial competition, which was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Hooke was a finalist in 2018, while Chiang was a finalist in both 2016 and 2018.

The finalists in the 2021 Australian National Piano Award

The eight men and three women will compete for over $65,000 in prize money, alongside a 12th finalist who will be announced shortly following the withdrawal of one of the competitors.

“These performers promise a feast of pianism and music making of the highest order,” said the competition’s new Artistic Director Wendy Lorenz. “We will hear many of our beloved piano masterworks in the hands of these wonderful young artists.”

“Many of our finalists have performed at major festivals, competitions and concert venues across the world,” she said. “We are delighted to host them in Shepparton – whether...