The 2025 Rubato International Piano Competition in Classical and Jazz came to an end with a sparkling night of performances by the nine chosen from the 15 semifinalists to perform in the final night of competition on August 16, 2025, at the Oxford Performing Arts Center.

The medal winners in each category were:

Classical (ages 10-18): Bronze (Audience Favorite) – Hiroshi Corra of California; Silver – Enni Harlan of California; Gold – Shixun Song of Massachusetts.

Jazz (ages 12-27): Bronze (Audience Favorite) – Jake Nalagan of California; Silver – Brahm Sasner of California; Gold – Tomas Jonsson of Maryland.

Classical (ages 19-27): Bronze (Audience Favorite) – Celine Chen of California; Silver – Jiusi Zhang of China; Gold – Huan-Ching Chou of Taiwan.

Gold medalists also received a cash prize of $10,000 and will be invited back to perform in the Rubato Gala Concert, now held biennially, in 2026. The competitive format will return in 2027.

“Our competitors have been so amazing,” said OPAC director of music education and Rubato founder/director Julio Baretto as he also gave appreciation to the adjudicators who came from some of the most prominent schools of music across the country and the OPAC staff who “worked 16-hour days.”

Barreto also saluted Mayor Alton Craft; the city council; and Crystal Hancock, OPAC director of development, “who is the heart and soul of Rubato and works hard raising the money” required for scholarships, prize money, and various expenses connected with the competition.

“Our sponsors are all very important in pulling something like this together,” Hancock said. “But without the city’s support, this does not happen, and we are blessed to have a city that has decided they want an event like this.”

“On behalf of the entire team of the Oxford Performing Arts Center, I want express our deep gratitude to the sponsors who made this entire week possible, to the city of Oxford and Oxford City Schools for their unwavering support, and to Steinway & Sons for their partnership in bringing world-class music to this stage,” said OPAC director John Longshore. “Rubato is more than a competition. It’s a celebration of artistry, discipline, and inspiration. Hosting it here in Oxford not only enriches our cultural life but also shows the world great music belongs everywhere – even here in East Alabama.”

This year’s competition has also been recorded by the students of the Oxford High School Jacket Media program, under the direction of instructor Candace Finley, and they are beginning post-production for a documentary which follows the pianists on stage and off during the week they spent at Rubato. The documentary is set to premiere later this fall on Alabama Public Television and will be made available to PBS stations across the country in 2026.