As they move from the preliminary round to the semi-finals and finals, pianists are tested in solo recital, chamber music, and concerto performances with the Fort Worth Symphony. The Takšcs Quartet will join the competitors for the chamber segment. For the first time, the final round will include solo recitals as well as two concertos.

Actor Anthony Hopkins, an amateur pianist, will emcee the competition's award ceremony on June 5, 2005. John Giordano, the former music director of the Fort Worth Symphony, will chair the jury, as he has done since 1973. The jury includes Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer, Sony Classical executive Thomas Frost, and pianists Claude Frank, Joseph Kalichstein, and Menahem Pressler, as well as conductors and educators from around the world.