How this Park University pianist became a 'more serious' contender at the world-class Cliburn...

The six finalists in the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition include Ilya Shmukler, who attends Park University’s International Center for Music.
This year’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, started with a record-breaking 388 applicants from all over the world.

Among the six who've made it to the finals is Ilya Shmukler, 27, who studies at Park University's International Center for Music in Parkville, Missouri.

The Cliburn is a competition that's launched numerous careers since it started in 1962. It pays $100,000 to the winner, $50,000 to the silver medalist and $25,000 to the bronze medalist.

This marks Shmukler’s second time in the competition. In 2017, he advanced to the quarterfinal round in what he described to Classical KC as “a real milestone" in his piano career.