Modan performs on Show 437.

Modan Oyama (piano), 17, started studying classical ballet at 3 years old and piano at 4; both pursuits formed the foundation for his love of self-expression and of the stage at a very early age. When he was 12, he started focusing on the piano in earnest after he auditioned for the anime TV show “Forest of Piano” and was cast to record the main character’s childhood piano performances. He currently attends Osaka Gakugei Senior High School and has studied piano with Keiji Serizawa for 10 years and Ayami Serizawa for 6 years. His next piano revelation came in 2019, when he was attending the Imola Summer Piano Academy and Festival in Italy and first experienced the breadth of the global classical music family: “Ah, the world of the piano is so wide.” Having won eight competitions in Japan and placed in many others, Modan’s hopes for the Cliburn Junior include “being exposed to great music from all around the world” and “meeting and conversing with excellent musicians of my generation.” Outside of the piano, his free time is still very focused on ballet—both dancing and attending performances; he considers it “the foundation of my artistry.”