In celebration of the Cliburn's 50th Anniversary and its longstanding commitment to new music, the Van Cliburn Foundation and Crow Collection of Asian Art presented a special recital of Cliburn Competition Commissioned Works, featuring 2009 Silver Medalist Yeol eum Son, piano, and hosted by Shields-Collins Bray on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in the Horchow Auditorium at the Dallas Museum of Art. The event was free and over 300 people attended, filling the auditorium to near capacity. Afterward there was a free reception hosted by the Crow Collection in their Grand Gallery. Click here to see photographs of the event.
This special concert came about because of an idea put forth by long time Cliburn board member Greg Davis. Responding to a request to the board by the development department for help making connections, he arranged a meeting for the Cliburn with Amy Lewis Hofland, Director of the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, Monique Wedderburn, Director of the UT Dallas Asia Center, and Jamie Allen, Director of Education at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The concert and reception blossomed out of this initial meeting to be a collaborative effort that included the Crow Collection, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Texas at Dallas School of Arts and Humanities.
Since its inception in 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has required competitors to perform a newly-composed work. The Cliburn has made a significant contribution to the standard piano repertoire in its 50-year history, commissioning 10 pieces specifically for competitions and hosting three American Composers Invitationals. For this concert, Yeol eum Son performed seven of the Cliburn commissioned works, including those by Barber, Bernstein, Bolcom, Copland, Corigliano, Dello Joio, and Shuman.The Cliburn expresses its utmost gratitude to Greg Davis, Amy Lewis Hofland and the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, Monique Wedderburn and the University of Texas at Dallas School of Arts and Humanities, Jamie Allen and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Denise Helbing and the Dallas Museum of Art. If you have ideas for collaborative efforts, please contact Lindy Eubank at leubank@cliburn.org. We are always interested in hearing your thoughts!