Aristo Sham
Aristo Sham performs during the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
The last time piano maestro Aristo Sham paid a visit to Cowtown, he left with a gold medal around his neck and an impressive cup in his hands inscribed with the words “The Cliburn.”
This was four months ago.
“Four months?” Aristo asks. “Has it been four months already? It doesn’t feel like four months.”
One shouldn’t be shocked by his honest miscalculation of time; they say busyness tends to condense the hours, and Sham’s been one busy guy.
Since taking home the top prize at one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, The Cliburn — so named after Fort Worth’s own Van Cliburn, who won Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky Competition at the height of the Cold War — Sham, 29, has received a hero’s welcome in his home of Hong Kong, released his Cliburn-winning performances via streaming platforms, wrapped up the recording of his second full-length album (of which there’s still no name), and is now touring the world.
Sham’s done more in the last four months than … well, you fill in the rest.
And the next stop on the pianist’s world-wide tour happens to be the spot where all this craziness kicked off: Fort Worth. Each of the next two nights (Oct. 1 and 2), Sham will perform pieces by Grieg, Bach, Brahms, and Chopin at the Kimbell Art Museum’s Renzo Piano Auditorium. For those interested, the piece by Brahms will be “6 Organ Chorale Preludes,” not an encore of Sham’s now-famous performance of Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major.” But you can still watch his 50-minute, Cliburn-winning concert, here — your eyes will have a task keeping up with his fingers.
Sham was in California, “somewhere near San Jose,” when we had the pleasure of chatting with him over Zoom. And our topics wound up running the gamut of gorging on Cheesecake Factory fare, the infinite world of music, and his love of Brahms (not to be mistaken for Braum’s).
FW: So now that you’re back in Fort Worth, are you going to hit up any eateries you might’ve enjoyed while competing in The Cliburn?
Aristo Sham: Well, no, I didn't do anything [while I was in Fort Worth]. Basically, when I was there, I think I went to Panther City Barbecue once, and the place I went to the most, this is so embarrassing, is the Cheesecake Factory next to Bass Hall.
FW: I would say that makes sense. And I would think that that's probably what a lot of competitors do while they're here.
Sham: Yeah. And during the competition, I was eating vast amounts of food because I was practicing a lot; it was a lot of physical and mental labor but also stress. So, I was eating those crazy Cheesecake Factory portions.
FW: Well, you’ll for sure get a lot of sustenance that way. So, how has your life changed over the last four months [since winning The Cliburn]?
Sham: I was performing anyway before [the competition]. And when I was younger, I had quite a significant media presence, as well — in Hong Kong especially. So, it's not exactly new to me. It's just the intensity and the frequency of everything is much higher than before, which is great. I am naturally restless and curious anyway. And I’m also at a point in my life where I feel ready to tackle and embrace all of this.
FW: What was it like when you returned to Hong Kong?
Sham: They responded in a way that I didn't expect, or I don't think anyone expected. It was almost like when [Van] Cliburn came back [to the United States] from the competition [in Moscow in 1958], that kind of thing. Because Hong Kong is a small place, right?
FW: Small and big, but I get what you’re saying.
Sham: So, they received this news with an elation that I did not expect. I played in all the National Day stuff, I was doing a full-length feature every day, and I was interviewed by every mainstream media outlet in Hong Kong. And it dawned on me during that time that I had this platform and outlet to try to be a positive influence on Hong Kong, on music, and hopefully the world. And, obviously, that's great for classical music, as well. Suddenly so many people are listening to classical music in Hong Kong, and a lot of people tell me in, “After I heard your performance, I picked up the piano again.” Or a lot of people came to my concert who had never been to a classical music concert before.
FW: Speaking of people picking up the piano again, I know you started playing the piano when you were 3. Yet, you have such an energy to your performances that I can see genuine excitement in what you’re doing. How have you remained so dedicated to and excited by the craft for so long?
Sham: I’m someone who explores new interests all the time, but I think music is also a particular lens. The world of music is so infinite that one can explore crevices all the time. Even in one single piece — well, if it's a good piece — there's always more layers, more depth, more angles to explore. We can understand and reinterpret a piece all the time. I also feel so privileged to be able to access that.
FW: I know you’re playing famous pieces by famous composers when you play live, but do you ever have room to improvise?
Sham: I used to improvise during performances when I was younger — up until I was 20. But, today, I improvise in a way where I’m still playing pieces written by other people, but the way I do it is so different every time. I think that comes with being prepared, feeling ready, and musically knowing what you stand for. When we know a piece really, really well, then we have, I would say, the right to experiment on stage while still respecting what's written on the score.
FW: You just mentioned knowing what one stands for musically. Can you put into words what you stand for musically?
Sham: First of all, music exists to express what we cannot say in words or any other way. My hope is when people hear my music, they feel something or understand something that they couldn’t have felt or understood in any other way. With the music I play, I think the common denominator is that there are all these emotions and conflicts, but the overriding message is that everything will be okay. Everything will work out. Musically, I enjoy strong composition, technique, and craftsmanship. And when you combine this with a strong message, this is what makes music compelling.
The greatest example of someone who does this perfectly is Brahms, which I played in the finals at the competition. For me, he exemplifies this because he's so meticulous about every note. And while we remember Brahm’s for his amazing music, we also remember him for his humanity. The pieces are so strong because the foundation of what he’s saying is so good.
FW: What can Fort Worthian’s expect during your two performances at the Kimbell?
Sham: So, this music is actually going to be on my new album, which will be out at the beginning of November.
FW: Oh, you’ve got a new album. Great! What’s it going to be called?
Sham: No. So, that’s actually a problem. I owed them a name, like, yesterday (laughs).
FW: (laughing) Oh, I couldn’t relate more — words can be so hard sometimes.
Sham: But, concerning the show, it’s a journey, there’s transformations, and there’s also a lot of joy. I think that’s the key to this performance.
FW: So, you’ve done so much with music already — enough to make a career — but what ultimately is your end goal? What do you plan to achieve with music?
Sham: With music, the key tenet is just to reach people and to make a positive impact on people's lives. And I hope to keep doing that for the rest of my life. I do think I’ve accomplished the immediate goal, which is to establish myself as a performing artist on the circuit with the major orchestras of the world, and to have the freedom to play the music that I love. I’m very privileged that I get to do that. It’s all sort of a living dream right now. But I also like to say that I want to eventually own a vineyard with a hotel and restaurants — maybe multiple of them around the world — and host music festivals.
