Superb Musicianship at the 12th Hamamatsu Piano Competition

At long last, I encountered an international piano competition where I wholeheartedly agreed with ( and applauded ) the jury’s choice of all the finalists. At this 2024 Hamamatsu Piano Competition, it seemed that exquisite musicianship was the vital requisite for advancing to the next stage of the competition, rather than super-human technique, aggressiveness, flashiness, marketable tactics, and political agenda, as in some other competitions of its caliber. I have been deeply touched by what these young artists had to say with their music, especially at such an exceptionally elevated standard of deliverance. This must be one of the most gratifying competitions I have followed, albeit remotely.

12th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition

At the time of writing this article, 6 finalists were just selected to enter the final stage of the competition – concerto performance – in 2 days’ time. Frankly, this is the first time that I would not object to any of these 6 pianists ultimately winning the first prize. They, as a fine group, represent such diverse personalities, cultures and styles that, in my mind, they are all winners. If I were to be in charge of a concert series, I would engage all of them to perform in my series. They clearly will have successful careers awaiting them. Here is a list of the finalists:-

Jonas AUMILLER (3rd stage)

Robert BILY (3rd stage)

JJ Jun Li BUI (3rd stage)

KOBYASHI Kaito (3rd stage)

Korkmaz Can SAĞLAM (3rd stage)

SUZUKI Manami (3rd stage)

However, I would be amiss if I harboured my favourite pick among the lot. Since 3 years ago, I have lavished my attention on this very talented individual, when he won 6th prize at the 18th Chopin Piano Competition. His name is JJ Jun Li Bui, born in Toronto, a half-Vietnamese and half-Chinese Canadian. As a matter of fact, I preferred his playing to the first prize winner of that particular competition – Bruce Liu, but he was only 17 years old then, so perhaps still early in his career.

Nonetheless, I found his playing authentic, focused and most compelling. Now, at age 20, he was the one contestant in this competition who held me mesmerised throughout all his programs. That is the reason why I have included additional videos of his 1st and 2nd stages in this article as well:

1st stage

2nd stage

To be further acquainted with JJ Jun Li Bui, here are quotes from his interview with “VIBE 105”:

“If you love music, the most important thing is to not play for fame or money.” – JJ Jun Li Bui

“If you use too much mind, the music will be boring. But if you put in too much heart, you will lose control.” – JJ Jun Li Bui.

Quotes from Micheal Berkovsky, Bui’s teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada:

“He had the maturity of a 15-year-old and the patience of a 60-year-old. He could repeat something a thousand times until it works.”

“What is hard to break is Bui’s concentration in his performance – it didn’t matter if there was a tornado outside,” added Berkovsky, a Juilliard trained pianist.

Presently, JJ Jun Li Bui is a student at the Oberlin College & Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.A., studying with Dang Thai Son. Regardless of whether this young man will be a prize winner at any competition, I can be sure that he will always devote his heart and soul to making music, in public and in private, and I can guarantee that I will always be a dedicated fan.

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