[ Piano playing ] ♪♪ Ovcharenko: The organizers of this competition, Mr. Stecher and Mr. Horowitz, made it possible to make this happen in Carnegie Hall after my win in New York International Piano Competition.

It's also one of the biggest in the world.

And just to get some words from Mr. Stecher, Mr. Horowitz, and from the committee of Honens Competition, this means everything to me, and that's what I'm actually striving for.

And I really hope to improve even more so they can say even better words.

♪♪ It's actually impossible to describe how I'm feeling right now.

It was my dream since childhood.

So I'm feeling really, really happy about that.

And, you know, today I was walking and I was looking and I saw this sign -- Carnegie Hall.

And I honestly couldn't believe it because when I was nine, living in a small city in Ukraine, in Chernihiv, I really couldn't believe where I will be today.

And I guess I was always dreaming and I was always practicing.

So I believe that's the best advice I have to young musicians, is practice and dream and just strive for more, for more all the time.

And that eventually will bring you here.

♪♪ He's a very outstanding artist, and I think he has a superb career ahead of him.

He has a great musicality, sensitivity, and he has the pianistic ability to bring out what he wants.

You know, there's nothing as great as the first.

And this is his first appearance in New York City at Carnegie Hall because of this competition.

He's got very impressive dates, and I'm thrilled for him and his family.

We call each other almost every day.

They are very funny, so they keep me in a good mood always.

So just hearing that they are okay, that's everything I need.

They are crying.

They cannot believe.

And when they say that they are proud of me and there is nothing better that happen in their life, that also means the world to me.

Since the war began, I really do play for the people of Ukraine, and I have them in my heart.

And the story I tell at the piano with the pieces I play, I truly connect to them.

He just went years in Israel with his teacher, Arie Vardi, and traveled with him now to Hannover, where he's at the Hochschule fur Musik.

And it's amazing that he travels the world all by himself, very secure, very independent.

And I guess it's attributed to his marvelous way of being raised.

I can really say he's like a grandfather to me.

I really feel connected with him.

And he really showed me the world.

He showed me the world of music.

I honestly draw in my inspiration from life.

So everything that happens, I try to put it into music, and I always find a story for a piece.

At my age, 21, quite a lot happened, so I believe I just became more confident, and I still have a lot to learn, and I still have to experience a lot of things and still strive for better because without that, there is no continuity.

♪♪ [ Applause ]