December 13, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maggie Estes, Director of Marketing and Public
Relations
mestes@cliburn.org, 817.738.6536 (o), 817.739.0459
(c)
Fort Worth, Texas,
December 13, 2011-The Van Cliburn Foundation
announced today that Nobuyuki Tsujii and Haochen Zhang, co-gold
medalists of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition,
have each signed with professional artist management firms.
Effective immediately, Mr. Tsujii's engagements will be managed by
IMG Artists, except in Japan where Avex Classics International will
continue to manage his appearances. Mr. Zhang will be managed by
KAJIMOTO with representation by Opus 3 Artists in North and South
America.
This advancement to professional management represents a
realization of one of the Cliburn's key goals-to nurture and launch
the careers of its competition winners. Since its inception, the
Foundation has remained committed to furthering the careers of
these outstanding musicians by offering a prize package that
includes not only a generous cash award but also three years of
commission-free artist management services, thereby gaining
worldwide visibility and recognition for its winners.
Cliburn Interim President and CEO Alann Bedford Sampson said:
"We are so proud of Nobu and Haochen. This represents the next step
in the development of meaningful, longterm careers. Their success
is a testament to their artistry and dedication, and to the wisdom
of the Cliburn jury."
NOBUYUKI TSUJII BIOGRAPHY
Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii-affectionately referred to as
Nobu by his friends and fans-captured the hearts and imaginations
of music lovers the world over with his gold medal-winning
performances at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition in 2009. The resulting audience fervor has taken on a
momentum that Time Magazinehas coined "Nobu fever."
Acclaimed for his heartfelt and inspiring performances, Nobu is
also noted for what the Chicago Tribune praised as
"fearless technical assurance, accuracy, and musicality…suppleness
of line and lyrical grace." In high demand by presenters and
orchestras worldwide, he consistently plays sold-out concerts
around the world and has catapulted to rock star status in Japan.
In 2011-2012, season highlights include his solo recital debut at
Carnegie Hall as part of its prestigious Keyboard Virtuosos series
and his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of
Vladimir Ashkenazy. Other appearances will take him across the
United States and Japan, as well as to Antalya, Istanbul, Basel,
Munich, and Berlin. He will also perform in concert with the Poznan
Philharmonic, the Orchestra Regional de Cannes, and the BBC
Philharmonic in a return engagement at Bridgewater Hall.
Since 2009, he has made over 100 appearances in North America,
Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, appearing in recital at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. under the auspices of the
Washington Performing Arts Society, Jordan Hall in Boston, the
Mondavi Center and UCLA Performing Arts Center with the Takács
Quartet, and with the Ravinia Festival, Aspen Summer Music Festival
and Academy, CU Artist Series in Boulder, Klavier-Festival Ruhr in
Germany, and the Tuscan Sun Festival in Italy. He has appeared with
the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Mississippi, Santa Fe, Corpus
Christi, Fort Worth, and Hudson Valley; the Slovak Philharmonic,
BBC Philharmonic, National Philharmonic of Russia, Orchestra de la
Svizzera Italiania, National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican
Republic, and Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux; and every major
orchestra in Japan.
A documentary detailing his extraordinary achievement as the
first-ever gold medalist from Japan in the Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition was broadcast on NHK television
throughout Japan. Peter Rosen's award-winning documentary of the
2009 Cliburn Competition, A Surprise in Texas, features
Nobu prominently and was met with critical acclaim. Harmonia mundi
usa released a CD of his Cliburn Competition performances, which
was named "Critic's Choice" by Japan's foremost recording magazine
Record Geijutsu. A second recording of his competition
performances was released in July 2010 and was lauded by the
Dallas Morning News for "a luminous tone and an utterly
natural feeling." These two CDs join his six bestselling records on
the Avex label, including a recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano
Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 with the BBC
Philharmonic and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C
minor, Op. 18 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin,
both conducted by Maestro Yutako Sado. His complete Cliburn
Competition performances are available on the Cliburn's YouTube
channel.
Blind since birth, Nobu believes that "there are no barriers in
the field of music." His philosophy was first affirmed at the age
of 7 when he was named first-prize winner at the All-Japan Blind
Students Music Competition. At the age of 12, he made his recital
debut at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. In 2005, at the age of 16, Nobu was
presented the Critic's Award at the Fifteenth International
Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
Mr. Tsujii recently graduated from Ueno Gakuen University,
studying under the guidance of Masahiro Kawakami, Yukio Yokoyama,
and Kyoko Tabe. He enjoys swimming, skiing, hiking, and communing
with nature. He lives in Tokyo.
HAOCHEN ZHANG BIOGRAPHY
Since his gold medal win at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition in 2009, 21-year-old Chinese
pianist Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United
States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical
sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. His
return to Fort Worth as part of the 2010-2011 Cliburn Concerts
series was lauded by the Dallas Morning News as "the kind
of program you'd expect from a seasoned master, served up with
dazzling virtuosity where wanted and astonishing sophistication
elsewhere" and hailed among the top 10 performances of 2010 by both
the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth
Star-Telegram. His Boston debut, under the auspices of the
Celebrity Series, met with high praise by audiences and critics,
making the year-end lists as part of the Boston Phoenix's
top 10 classical music stories of the year. Boston
Globecritic Matthew Guerrieri remarked that Mr. Zhang
displayed "poetic temperament as much as technical power…[he is] a
pianist with ample reserves of power whose imagination seems
nonetheless most kindled by subtle delicacy."
A passionate and insightful programmer, Mr. Zhang continues to
cultivate his reputation through major performances and debuts
every year. Highlights of the 2011-2012 season include return
engagements with the San Francisco and Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestras; performances at the Kravis Center, Santa Fe Chamber
Music Festival, and Carmel Center for the Performing Arts; and a
tour of Japan in October. He will make his Paris debut with a
recital at the Louvre Museum and his Vienna debut with the Vienna
Chamber Orchestra in the spring. An enthusiastic chamber musician,
Mr. Zhang will perform with the Tokyo String Quartet in a special
gala event for the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts, and with the Shanghai Quartet as part of the
Mountain Music Festival in the Berkshires.
In past seasons, he has performed with The Philadelphia
Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Pacific
Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, London
Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Singapore Chinese Symphony,
Singapore Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestra of the
Dominican Republic. He has traversed the United States for
performances with such prestigious series as Spivey Hall, La Jolla
Music Society, Celebrity Series of Boston, CU Artist Series,
Cliburn Concerts, Krannert Center, Wolf Trap Discovery Series, Lied
Center of Kansas, and UVM Lane Series. International tours have
taken him to Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem, Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Rome, Tivoli, and Belgrade,
among other cities.
Mr. Zhang's Cliburn Competition performances of Stravinsky's
Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka; Chopin's Twenty-Four
Preludes, Op. 28; Mason Bates's White Lies for Lomax; and
Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody were released to critical acclaim
by harmonia mundi usa in 2009. He is also featured in Peter Rosen's
award-winning documentary chronicling the 2009 Cliburn Competition,
A Surprise in Texas, which was sold out within two weeks
of DVD release and subsequently re-released. His complete
competition performances are available on the Cliburn's YouTube
channel.
Mr. Zhang has a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity that is
nurtured through his continuing studies at the Curtis Institute of
Music in Philadelphia under the guidance of Gary Graffman. He has
previously trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the
Shenzhen Arts School, where he was admitted in 2001 at the age of
11 to study with Professor Dan Zhaoyi.
A voracious reader with an interest in a variety of subjects,
including literature, science, and history, Mr. Zhang also writes
poetry and improvises pop music. In his leisure time, he excels at
ping pong and snooker. Born in Shanghai, Haochen Zhang now makes
his home in Philadelphia.
ABOUT AVEX CLASSICS INTERNATIONAL
Launched in fall 2003 as the latest label for classical music in
Japan, Avex Classics International has two main objectives: to
produce and release creative musical works by great artists at the
highest possible quality, and to promote the beauty of classical
music to as many people as possible. For these purposes, Avex
Classics International continues to actively engage in expanding
classical and contemporary music, taking full advantage of the
broad network and diversified sales channels of the whole Avex
group.
ABOUT IMG ARTISTS
IMG Artists is a global leader in the arts management business,
combining the highest standards of management with an incomparable
range of services to its customers and clients alike. With offices
in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, IMG Artists delivers an array of
international capabilities, including the management and touring of
the finest musicians, dance companies, orchestras, and attractions;
development and operation of music and arts festivals; consulting,
advisory, and event management work for governments, arts
institutions, concert halls, and corporations; and production of
critically-acclaimed audio/visual projects. IMG Artists is
committed to breaking new ground in the ever-evolving performing
arts world with its unparalleled degree of artistic and managerial
talent.
ABOUT KAJIMOTO
Established in 1951, KAJIMOTO has been engaged in planning
concerts and managing leading artists in the classical music field
for more than a half-century. Every year, KAJIMOTO is involved in
approximately 2,500 concerts of a large number of top international
artists, orchestras, and ensembles. Through the managing of
approximately 200 artists, KAJIMOTO introduces them to audiences
nationally and internationally. Celebrating their 50-year
anniversary in 2001, the Paris Liaison Office was opened, followed
by offices in Shanghai in 2005 and in Beijing in 2011. Through the
close cooperation of these bases in Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, and
Beijing, new special projects including a festival and large-scale
stage works have been produced.
ABOUT OPUS 3 ARTISTS
Opus 3 Artists manages the careers and touring activities of
many of the world's most distinguished performing artists and
ensembles. Its first-class roster includes instrumentalists,
vocalists, conductors, composers, chamber music ensembles, and
touring orchestras, and is complemented by a growing list of dance
and theater companies, and jazz, world, and new music artists. A
pioneering presence in the field, Opus 3 Artists is committed to
discovering and developing young artists by helping to establish
the network and foundation for their careers.
ABOUT THE VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO
COMPETITION
Van Cliburn's sensational victory at the first Tchaikovsky
International Competition in Moscow in 1958 heralded a new
confidence in the quality of American music-making, as well as a
new era in cultural relations between East and West. Celebrating
this remarkable achievement, a group of music teachers and citizens
from Fort Worth, Texas, created the Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition. First held in 1962, the Competition has established
itself as a joyous festival dedicated to the discovery of the
world's finest young pianists.
In addition to receiving significant cash prizes, the winners of
each competition are awarded three years of career management and
artistic services, including the booking of national tours for all
six finalists and international engagements for the gold medalist.
The winners of the Thirteenth Competition held in 2009 are
currently in their third year of touring, having performed over 350
engagements, including concerts, recitals, master classes, and
education/outreach events before thousands of people. These tours
play a vital part in fulfilling the Van Cliburn Foundation's
purpose of bringing the highest quality of music to audiences
everywhere.
The Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will
take place May 24-June 9, 2013, at Fort Worth's Bass Performance
Hall and will welcome 30 of the world's finest young pianists to
Texas. Continuing its longstanding commitment to new music, the
Cliburn has selected composer Christopher Theofanidis to write the
commissioned work that will be performed by all competitors during
the Semifinal Round. Additionally, the Competition has been
dedicated to showcasing both the extraordinary talent of its
competitors in recital performance as well as their ability to
collaborate with other musicians. The Fourteenth Competition will
mark the first Cliburn appearance by the world-renowned Brentano
String Quartet performing a piano quintet with each of the 12
semifinalists. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, which has
appeared at every Cliburn Competition, will perform two concerti
with each of the six finalists, under the baton of Maestro Leonard
Slatkin for the first time. Maestro John Giordano will serve
as chairman of the jury for his eleventh Competition since assuming
the post in 1973.
The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has been the
most visible expression of the Van Cliburn Foundation's
commitment to the highest standards of musical achievement, but the
mission of the organization is actualized through the combination
of all of its core programs. For audiences in the Dallas/Fort Worth
Metroplex, the Foundation promotes great music by presenting
world-class artists in the annual Cliburn Concerts series. It
reaches over 33,000 elementary school students annually with the
education programs of Musical Awakenings®. In
1999, it established the International Piano Competition for
Outstanding Amateurs™, which The Boston Globe proclaimed
"a celebration of music, and the people who have to make music, no
matter what." The sixth Amateur Competition was held in Fort Worth
May 23-29, 2011, at Ed Landreth Auditorium on the campus of
TCU.
Visit Cliburn.org to learn more about the Cliburn as it
celebrates the 50th anniversary of the First Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition in 2012.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor
of the Van Cliburn Foundation. American Airlines;
"Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust," Bank of America,
Trustee; The Pangburn Foundation, JPMorgan Chase,
N.A., Trustee; and XTO Energy Inc. are
Official Corporate Sponsors. Official Sponsors are the Amon
G. Carter Foundation, Arts Council of Fort Worth
& Tarrant County, the Burnett
Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation,
the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, and the
T. Boone Pickens Foundation.
Star-Telegram is the exclusive print media
sponsor, and WRR 101.1 FM is the official radio
station of Cliburn Concerts.
