The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold
Aired nationwide on PBS
September 28, 2012
9:00 p.m. EDT / 8:00 p.m. CDT (check local
listings)
Since September 24, 1962, the finest young pianists
from around the world have taken the stage every four years at the
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
Continuing the yearlong celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the
Cliburn proudly presents The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold, a
60-minute documentary produced by Peter Rosen Productions, Inc. and
presented by the North Texas PBS affiliate KERA Channel 13
television. The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold airs Friday,
September 28, 2012, 9:00 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. CDT (check local
listings) on PBS stations across the country. Viewers can also
watch the film in its entirety online at Cliburn.org and pbs.org,
where it will be available for free on-demand streaming beginning
September 29, 2012.
The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold reflects memories as seen
through the eyes of the 15 celebrated gold medalists while
following the half-century-long history of one of the world's most
prestigious music competitions, set against the backdrop of
beautiful music. "Walking onto the stage at the Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition is a critical moment in the lives
of young pianists. In the midst of the drama, the beauty, the
tension, and the exhilaration, they know one thing is true-what
happens there can change their futures forever. These dedicated,
budding virtuosos strive to achieve their utmost goal: to become a
performer on the world stage. Gut-wrenching excitement, strung-out
nerves, and the joy of victory are elements that comprise this
extraordinary film retrospective."
For this film, Emmy Award-winning producer/director Peter Rosen
sought out the Cliburn gold medalists wherever they were performing
around the world to interweave their stories with the legend of Van
Cliburn, the competition's eponymous icon, who recalls his victory
in 1958 at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the height
of the Cold War: "I had only a few months to prepare for the
Tchaikovsky Competition. But, in a way, my whole life had been
leading up to it."
"Lives since have been changed for the better because of Mr.
Cliburn's inspiration," said Alann Bedford Sampson, interim
president and CEO of the Cliburn. "This documentary encapsulates
that impact."
The Van Cliburn Foundation has created nine feature-length
documentaries since 1977, all of which aired nationally on PBS.
Rosen, a veteran of covering the Cliburn, directed and produced
four of those films, winning the Directors Guild of America Award
and the Emmy® Award for Here to Make Music: The
Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989,
and the Peabody Award for Playing on the Edge: The Eleventh Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2001.
The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold was produced by Peter
Rosen Productions, Inc. and presented by KERA TV in North Texas.
The project is funded by The Burnett Foundation, BNSF Railway
Foundation, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, and The Ryan
Foundation.
Read the full
press release.
Visit the documentary page at KERA.
