This year we publicised the awards to all conservatoria in Queensland, NSW, ACT, Victoria and South Australia, inviting applications for assistance from our foundation.
Applications closed on September 26. We held live final auditions in the Willoughby showroom of Theme and Variations Piano Services on November 2, with dr Christine Logan and dr Stephanie Neeman as our adjudicators.
The Theme & Variations Foundation is pleased to announce grants have been awarded to Joshua Han from NSW and to Sean Kim from Victoria to assist them in their careers.
We are always delighted to find, as we have this year, exciting, fresh talent coming through our teaching institutions. The adjudicators felt the pianists presented a very high level of artistic abilities, and were able to communicate their musical ideas with conviction.
Joshua Han
Winner of the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, Joshua Han has been praised for his “complete mastery of his instrument as well as complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). He has appeared with distinguished orchestras including the Queensland Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic (Japan), and Suwon Philharmonic (South Korea). In 2025 he won first prize at the International Piano Competition J. S. Bach in Saarbrücken, Germany, following his success at the 2024 Australian National Piano Award.
An Australian-born pianist, Joshua began studies at the age of four with his mother and went on to win major international prizes at the Ettlingen (Germany, 2014) and Aarhus (Denmark, 2015) competitions. Upcoming performances in 2025–26 include appearances with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra, Albury Chamber Music Festival, Shepparton Arts Festival, Music Shoalhaven, and the Athenaeum Club. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music Studies (Performance) with Dr Paul Rickard-Ford at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, alongside medical studies at the University of Sydney.
Sean Kim
Sean Kim is an award-winning Korean-Australian pianist based in Melbourne. A First-Class Honours graduate from the University of Melbourne, he has received major accolades including the DW Gardiner Memorial Award and Grace Funston Scholarship. Known for his expressive artistry and technical mastery, Sean has been recognised in national competitions and festivals across Australia. He has studied with Ian Holtham, Konstantin Shamray, and Andreas Boyde, and performed in masterclasses with Kirill Gerstein and Konstantin Lifschitz. Currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Australia, Sean continues to captivate audiences with his refined musicianship and compelling performances.
