Ukrainian winner of Cliburn international piano competition credits mom with music success

FORT WORTH, Texas – Vadym Kholodenko has been playing the piano since he was 5, all because his mother’s influence. The Ukrainian is glad she saw his potential.

On Sunday, Kholodenko won the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. It’s among the top showcases for the world’s best pianists.

Beatrice Rana, of Italy, placed second, and Sean Chen, of the United States, placed third. The other three finalists were Fei-Fei Dong, of China; Nikita Mndoyants, of Russia; and Tomoki Sakata, of Japan.

Some teachers created the contest in Fort Worth in 1962, four years after Cliburn won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. His victory helped thaw the icy rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Cliburn died in February at age 78 after battling bone cancer.