—PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION—
PIANIST CADEN LIN WINS GOLD MEDAL
AT THE 2025 PSIPC (JUNIOR DIVISION)
—Gold Medal: $10,000—
Additional Gold Medal Prizes Include:
Recording with Yamaha Artist Services New York
Recital & Concerto Performances in 2025-27 Seasons
Caden Lin Wins $1,000 The Whittier Trust Confidence Foundation Award
PALM DESERT, CA (April, 21, 2025) —Caden Lin (17, United States) has been named the Gold Medal winner of the 2025 PSIPC (Junior Division) following the PSIPC 2025 (Junior Division) Finals held at the McCallum Theatre.
As Gold Medal winner, Caden Lin (17, United States) received a cash prize of $10,000 as well as a recording with Yamaha Artist Services New York and important recital and concerto performances throughout the 2025-2027 seasons.
Silver Medal winner, Kyle Yeung (17, United States), received a cash prize of $5, 000. Bronze Medal winner, Eddison Chen (15, United States), received a cash prize of $2,500. Medal of Honor, recipient Ryusei Kobayashi (14, United States), received a cash prize of $1,000.
Caden Lin was awarded The Whittier Trust Confidence Foundation Award given to the Finalist chosen by the audience on the final night of the Competition; they received $1,000 for this award.
Additionally, $500 was given to all Semi-Finalists who did not advance to the Final Round.
The four Finalists were featured in a performance with the PSIPC Festival Orchestra conducted by Peter Wilson on April 21. The concerts took place at the McCullum Theatre in Palm Desert. Eddison Chen performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37; Ryusei Kobayashi performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Op. 19; Caden Lin performed Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37; and Kyle Yeung performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15. The event was streamed live on the Palm Springs International’s YouTube channel.
About Caden Lin
Caden Lin (17, United States) grew up in Los Angeles, California, and started learning piano at 6. Currently he is a Junior at Venice Senior High and studies with Fabio Bidini, HyeJin Kim, and Rodolfo Leone at Colburn Music Academy. Caden won 1st Prize in the 2024 Marine Band Concerto Competition in Washington D.C. Additionally has performed with the “President’s Own” Marine Chamber Orchestra (2024), Colburn Academy Concerto Competition (2023), the 2020 Steinway Virtual Piano Competition (Southern California), and the Aloha International Piano Competition (Honolulu, Oahu in 2018). Caden has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall New York, Orvis Auditorium at the University of Hawaii, and was a soloist at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles, performing as part of the 2022 Gala alongside renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Twenty competitors were selected to advance to the in-person rounds of the Junior Division of the 2025 PSIPC (Solo Round I, Solo Semi-Final, Concerto Round I, and the Finals) following the online-only Qualifying Round. Chosen from a pool of nearly 80 applicants representing 10 countries, these exceptional young musicians, ages 13 to 17, hail from six nations—China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Ukraine and the United States.
The in-person rounds of the 2025 PSIPC (Junior Division) were adjudicated by an esteemed panel chaired by Bernadene Blaha (Professor of Practice, University of Southern California). Additional jury members are Bonnie Barrett (Director, Yamaha Artist Services New York), Kevin Kwan Loucks (Chief Executive Officer, Chamber Music America), Lisa Nakamichi (Founding Artistic Director, Aloha International Piano Festival), and Micah Yui (Colburn School).
The Palm Springs International Piano Competition (PSIPC), once known as The Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, has welcomed more than 250 gifted pianists from 25 countries throughout its storied history. Among the Competition’s illustrious alumni are luminaries such as James Giles, John Novacek, Jon Nakamatsu, Lily Popova, Jan Lisiecki, and Anton Nel as well as the remarkable Jonathan Mamora. Their careers, celebrated for critical acclaim and innovative artistry, have cemented their status as influential leaders and visionaries in piano performance.
The 2025 Palm Springs International Piano Competition (Junior Division) is generously sponsored by Julia I. Dennie-Kauffman | Kauffman Family Foundation; James & Jessica Greene | Greene Family Foundation; Eisenhower Health; Edward C Rainey, Jr & Scott C Britain; and Joe Giarrusso & Charlie Paglia.
The cash awards for the four Medalists and the $500 for the Semi-Finalists who did not advance to the Final Round of the 2025 PSIPC (Junior Division) are made possible through the generosity of the Peggy & Don Cravens Education Funds for student awards, scholarships, and education activities.
The Whittier Trust Confidence Foundation Award of $1000 was generously sponsored by The Whittier Trust Confidence Foundation.
Official PSIPC 2025 (Junior Division) Media Partners were KUSC, KESQ, and Palm Springs Life.
Yamaha is the official piano of the 2025 Palm Springs International Piano Competition (Junior Division).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
