Ke'alohi International Piano Competition
Established by the Aloha International Piano Festival in 2022, the Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition brings exceptional pianists from around the world to Honolulu for an intensive week of performance and competition.
Held every three years, Ke‘alohi offers pianists ages 18–29 the opportunity to perform before an international jury through multiple rounds of solo repertoire, culminating with three finalists performing complete concertos with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
NEXT COMPETITION: FALL 2028
The third Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition will take place in Honolulu in Fall 2028. Competition dates, application information, repertoire requirements and additional details will be announced at a later date.
About the Ke'alohi
2022 | The Beginning
The inaugural Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition welcomed outstanding pianists from around the world to Honolulu, culminating with concerto finals featuring three finalists performing with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
FIRST PRIZE:
Ryota Yamazaki (Japan)
SECOND PRIZE:
Ji Youn Lee (S. Korea)
THIRD PRIZE:
Zhiye Lin (China)
2025 | Building on the Vision
Ke‘alohi returned in 2025 for its second competition, bringing another exceptional group of international pianists to Honolulu for solo rounds and concerto finals with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
FIRST PRIZE
Modan Oyama (Japan)
SECOND PRIZE
Pyotr Akulov (Russia)
THIRD PRIZE
Rouge Wen (China)
2028 | Looking Ahead
The third Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition returns in Fall 2028 with four rounds of competition. Following an online Preliminary Round, 20 quarterfinalists will be selected to travel to Honolulu for the in-person Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Final rounds, culminating with three finalists performing with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
FIRST PRIZE — $30,000
SECOND PRIZE — $5,000
THIRD PRIZE — $3,000
Competition dates, application information and repertoire requirements will be announced.
Meet the 2025 First Prize Winner
MODAN OHYAMA
Japanese pianist Modan Ohyama was awarded First Prize at the 2025 Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition, following a week of performances in Honolulu that culminated in the Final Round with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
A student at the Osaka College of Music under Keiji Serizawa, Ohyama began studying piano at age four. His international competition honors include First Prize and the Audience Award at the Young Verona Piano Competition in Italy, Third Prize at the OSAKA International Music Competition, and top prize at the Salzburg-Mozart International Chamber Music Competition in Tokyo. He was also a semifinalist at the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition.
In 2024, Ohyama performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at Suntory Hall and was a finalist in the PTNA Piano Competition. He is also a recipient of PTNA’s Yasuko Fukuda Award.
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Watch Modan Ohyama
Experience performances by 2025 Ke‘alohi First Prize winner Modan Ohyama from the competition’s Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds.
Watch the 2025 Competition
Revisit performances from the 2025 Ke‘alohi International Piano Competition, featuring pianists from around the world in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds in Honolulu.