Aristo Sham ‘20 NEC/Harvard Signs with Universal Music Hong Kong Following Cliburn Win
Following his victory at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, pianist Aristo Sham ‘20 NEC/Harvard has signed an exclusive recording contract with Universal Music Hong Kong. His debut album with the label, Timeline, was released on November 7 which features repertoire drawn from his ongoing world tour.
Timeline presents a journey through musical eras, including works such as Busoni’s transcriptions of Bach and Brahms, his Variations on a Chopin Prelude, and Grieg’s Holberg Suite.
Sham’s Cliburn win marked a historic achievement as the first pianist from Hong Kong to receive the competition’s top prize, along with the Audience Award. Writing for Gramophone, critic Jed Distler noted that his performances inspired strong audience response throughout the competition.
A former child prodigy, Sham entered the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at the age of six and went on to win the Ettlingen and Gina Bachauer Junior competitions before pursuing studies at Harvard University, NEC, and The Juilliard School.
The international jury for this year’s Cliburn Competition was chaired by Arto Noras and included Clive Greensmith, Louise Hopkins, Doo-Min Kim, Troels Svane, Andreas Vierziger, Jian Wang, Hiroyasu Yamamoto, and NEC alumnus Kangho Lee ’05 DMA.
Through his new partnership with Universal Music Hong Kong, Sham will continue to expand his international presence and artistic reach, building on the momentum of his recent successes on the world stage.
