The Rubato International Piano Competition has announced the semifinalists selected to compete in its 2025 event, to be held Aug. 12–16 at the Oxford Performing Arts Center in Oxford, Ala. Celine Chen, of Valencia, will compete in the Classical Category for ages 19-27.

Chen, a graduate of West Ranch High School, has previously competed in several piano competitions across the United States and in 2021 won the Debussy award at the annual Claudette Sorel Piano Competition, with 72 pianists, including international participants, invited to perform. The competition was held at the State University of New York at Fredonia, N.Y.

The Valencia native also performed as a Division Finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Southwest Division Junior Piano in 2018. Chen, the daughter of Jemmy and Erly Chen, earned the opportunity after winning the California MTNA Junior Performance Competition.

In 2023 Chen started her first year at the University of Southern California, where she studied piano with Bernadene Blaha and flute with Catherine Karoly. As a 2022 Grand Prize winner of the Young Musicians Inspiring Change International Competition, Chen was one of six instrumentalists invited to play a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. In the past, she has also been awarded prizes from the MTNA National Competitions, The Music Center’s Spotlight, the Celia Mendez Young Pianist’s Beethoven Competition, and the Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition. Other honors include the Colburn School Herbert Zipper Scholar Award, the William Grant Still Arts Center Scholarship and the National YoungArts Merit Award. Also an avid chamber musician, Chen and her piano trio have won prizes in the Pasadena Conservatory of Music Chamber Music Competition as well as the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In the summer of 2018, they represented Junior Chamber Music as Debut Artists and toured various cities in Europe, including Prague, Vienna and Budapest.

Chen is a current junior at the University of Southern California double majoring in piano performance and flute performance.

Recognized as the premier international piano competition of its kind in the American Southeast, the Rubato International Piano Competition sets itself apart by uniting classical and jazz disciplines within a single, comprehensive platform.

This year’s competition will feature talent from across the globe, including representatives from Vietnam, China, Albania, Taiwan, Canada and states across the country (California, Texas, Maryland), including an artist from Alabama (Henry Hewitt).

Classical Category (Ages 10-18): Josephine Chow (Austin, TX), Hiroshi Corro (Freemont, CA), Enni Harlan (Los Angeles, CA), Henry Hewitt (Mobile, AL) and Shixun Song (Andover, MA)

Classical Category (Ages 19-27): Celine Chen (Valencia, CA), Huan-Ching Chou (Hsinchu County, Taiwan), Aleks Shameti (Tirana, Albania), Chau Tran (Vietnam) and Jiusi Zhang (Langfang, China)

Jazz Category (Ages 12-27): Phineas Davenport (Houston, TX), Leon Hsu (Taiwan), Tomas Jonsson (Baltimore, MD), Eric Liang (Toronto, Canada), Jake Nalagan (Sacramento, CA) and Brahm Sasner (San Francisco, CA)

Ticket packages ($30-$45) and single tickets ($20) to the semifinal and final public concerts (Aug. 14-16) are on sale now at the Oxford PAC Box Office and online at www.rubatopiano.org.

Since its inception in 2022, the Rubato International Piano Competition has emerged as a leading platform for rising pianists, recognized globally for its artistic excellence and career-launching potential. As an official Steinway & Sons International Competition, Rubato provides young artists with opportunities to develop and showcase their talents on a world stage.

Competitors perform on the Steinway D Concert Spirio Grand Piano, one of the most prestigious instruments in the world, enabling them to fully realize and convey the depth of their musical expression.

Rubato will present a distinguished panel of six internationally acclaimed judges, representing both classical and jazz categories. Past and present jury members include renowned figures from the Van Cliburn Competition, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Berklee College of Music, the University of North Texas, East Texas A&M University and the University of Michigan, among other institutions. This year’s classical competition panelists are Christopher Harding, Marina Lomazov and Luis Sanchez. For jazz, the jury includes Utar Artun, Dave Meder and Elio Villafranca.

For more information, visit www.rubatopiano.org.