UCSB Arts & Lectures will present pianist Aristo Sham in a debut recital, 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 at Hahn Hall. Sham is the Gold Medalist of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
The Cliburn Competition has been a global force in advancing classical piano since its founding in 1962, and has launched the careers of some of the world’s most celebrated pianists.
Sham is a graduate of Harvard, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Juilliard School. His medal-winning performances included works by Ravel, Bach, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
His debut album with Universal Music, Timeline, was issued on Nov. 7.
The Arts & Lectures program includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Ferruccio Busoni): Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004.
Johannes Brahms (arr. Busoni): Six Chorale Preludes, op. 122.
Frédéric Chopin (arr. Busoni): Variations on Prelude in C minor, op. 28, no. 20.
In previous seasons, Sham has appeared with the London Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, English Chamber, Orchestre Chambre de Lausanne, Utah Symphony and Minnesota orchestras.
His 2025-26 debut season as Cliburn winner includes a tour of Asia through South Korea and China, and U.S. recitals for Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society/The Conrad, UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Skyline Piano Artist Series at Northwestern University.
Tickets to Sham’s concert are $43 for general public; $10 for UCSB students with current student ID.
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535, or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.