Aristo Sham, pianist, born in 1996 in Hong Kong, became the First Prize Winner of The Eighth New York International Piano Competition in June 2016, a biennial event presented under the auspices of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation. Aristo was also the Prize Winner for Best Performance of the Required Contemporary Work, Two Impromptus, by Lowell Liebermann. In addition to his cash prizes, he was awarded a recital at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., as well as additional appearances on the Young Artists Series, a program of concerts presented by The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation in collaboration with venues throughout New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.

Aristo Sham was first introduced to the piano at age three, and joined the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at the age of six under the tutelage of Professor Eleanor Wong. He was a student at Harrow School in the UK, where he worked with Professor Colin Stone, and is currently pursuing BA/MMus degrees as a joint program at Harvard University and New England Conservatory, studying with Professor Victor Rosenbaum.

Having given concerts on five continents in countries ranging from Singapore and Argentina to Slovenia and Morocco, Aristo has played for Prince Andrew at Windsor Castle, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of York, and the Queen of Belgium and President Hu of China on their respective visits to Hong Kong. He has also appeared as soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Aristo has won a number of international prizes, including First Prize and the Barenreiter Urtext Special Prize in the 10th Ettlingen International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Germany in 2006, First Prize in the Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition in 2008, First Prize and two special prizes in the Minnesota International Junior Piano-Competition in 2011, and First Prize in the inaugural Viseu International Piano Competition in Portugal in 2015.

Aristo Sham was featured in the documentary ‘The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies’, broadcast by Channel 4 in the UK, and was awarded a Fellowship with distinction in Piano Performance of the Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) in 2011.