WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Catching up with Cliburn gold medalist Aristo Sham ahead of his Texas return

Fresh off his 2025 Cliburn Gold Medal win, pianist Aristo Sham returns to Texas to perform Brahms’ First Piano Concerto with the Waco Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Larry Loh, on Thursday, January 22nd. In this Focus on the Arts podcast, WRR host Brooke Scholl sits down with Aristo Sham to talk about life as a concertizing artist, the challenge and beauty of Brahms’ symphonic piano writing, and the realities of carrying vast repertoire while touring. The concert program also features Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst and Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, promising a powerful and deeply expressive evening of music.