January 19, 2011
Carla Kemp Thompson succeeds Alann Bedford Sampson as
chairman
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maggie Estes, Director of Marketing
mestes@cliburn.org,
817.738.6536
For high-resolution images, please
click here.
FORT WORTH, Texas, January 19, 2011---The Van
Cliburn Foundation has elected its new board of directors and is
proud to announce Carla Kemp Thompson as chairman.
Mrs. Thompson, senior vice president with UBS Financial
Services, Inc., began her board service with the Cliburn in 1994,
acting as treasurer from 1999 to 2010, Allegro Circle co-chairman
from 2000 to 2008, and Gala chairman from 2003 to 2011.
Of her election, Mrs. Thompson said, "It is an honor to be the
next Van Cliburn Foundation board chairman, and I look forward to
continuing to serve with so many fine, intensely dedicated
volunteers. My personal exposure to classical music began early,
including attendance at the Competition during my childhood. Those
experiences fostered a lifetime love of and commitment to music.
Alann Sampson and the wonderful chairmen before her established the
cornerstones that will shape the Cliburn into future decades. Going
forward, we have much to accomplish and a great legacy to
extend."
As board chairman, Mrs. Thompson will chair the Fourteenth Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition (May 24-June 9, 2013) and
the sixth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs™
(May 23-29, 2011). Working closely with David Chambless Worters,
president & CEO, she will oversee a force of over 1,200
committed volunteers, the $12M 4-year budget for the Foundation,
the artistic standards of the renowned Cliburn Concerts performance
series and Musical Awakenings® education program, and the $15M Van
Cliburn Foundation Trust.
Mrs. Thompson succeeds Alann Bedford Sampson, Cliburn Chairman
since 1994. Mrs. Sampson began her years of service to the
organization as a volunteer usher at the first ever Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition in 1962. She hosted Gold Medalist
Cristina Ortiz during the 1969 competition and was continuously
involved with the competition committee for many years following. A
member of the board since 1971, she organized and was president of
the Cliburn Council, the predecessor to the International
Association, in 1975. A passionate advocate for music as an
essential element of a vital daily life, Mrs. Sampson produced the
inaugural Cliburn Concerts series in 1976. During her distinctive
16 years as chairman, she oversaw four Cliburn Competitions and
five Amateur Competitions. From October 2009 to December 2010, Mrs.
Sampson also served as executive director pro tem. She
will continue as a cabinet-level member of the board and will chair
the committee responsible for the observation and celebration of
the Foundation's 50th Anniversary in 2012.
Mrs. Sampson said, "It is a great joy to have Carla Thompson
assume the chairmanship of the Van Cliburn Foundation. She has the
experience, knowledge, and passion to lead the efforts of the
Cliburn in its mission and commitment to the highest standards of
musical achievement. I have tremendous confidence in her abilities
and know the Cliburn will have a brilliant future with her at the
helm."
Pianist Van Cliburn said, "Carla Thompson is a remarkable lady
who is uniquely gifted with a warm and engaging personality,
financial wisdom, and a love for and knowledge of classical music.
These important qualities are coupled with her deep concern for
young pianists as they strive for success in performing the world's
great musical masterpieces. I am very grateful that she has
accepted the role as chairman, and I feel she will further
underscore the high ideals and standards as well as the amazing
strength and development of this Foundation over the last 50
years."
Other elected officers are: Wesley R. Turner, vice chairman; Kim
Williamson Darden, secretary; and Jeff King, treasurer. The term
for the new board expires in 2014.
The Van Cliburn Foundation is also pleased to announce that
Robert Blocker has been newly appointed to its International
Advisory Committee. The Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music at Yale
University and a highly regarded concert pianist, Mr. Blocker will
also serve on the Cliburn Board of Directors.
CARLA KEMP THOMPSON BIOGRAPHY
A Fort Worth native, Carla Kemp Thompson is a well-respected
investment advisor with over 25 years of experience, the last 15
with UBS Financial Services, Inc. where she currently serves as
senior vice president.
Her commitment to the pursuit of excellence began early in life.
After graduating as valedictorian from Fort Worth Country Day
School, Mrs. Thompson attended TCU, then studied concert piano
privately in New York before graduating from the University of
Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with High Honors.
Her commitment to her community and the arts is evident in her
steadfast volunteer work. Prior to accepting the board
chairmanship, Mrs. Thompson served as Cliburn Foundation treasurer
for 12 years, as chairman of 6 Cliburn galas, and as trustee of the
Van Cliburn Trust. She currently serves on the boards of the Fort
Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and
the Fort Worth Junior League, and also sits on the Advisory Council
for the University of Texas College of Fine Arts Advisory
Council.
Mrs. Thompson is married to Kelly R. Thompson, an investor, and
has two daughters at the University of Texas at Austin, Kate-an MBA
student-and Molly-an undergraduate senior studying Art.
VAN CLIBURN FOUNDATION
The Van Cliburn Foundation disseminates classical music worldwide,
and launches and nurtures young artists' careers through the
quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the
ensuing three-year international concert tours of its medalists,
award-winning documentaries, and a syndicated radio series
dedicated to the competition and its most memorable performances.
By making the competition available in its entirety on the
Internet, the Foundation has extended its outreach to listeners in
every corner of the globe.
For audiences in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, the Van
Cliburn Foundation promotes great music and world-class artists
through the annual Cliburn Concerts series. It reaches over 30,000
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 will be held May 23-29, 2011 at Ed Landreth
Auditorium on the campus of TCU.
Visit Cliburn.org to learn more about the Cliburn as it
approaches the 50th anniversary of the first Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition in 1962.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor
of the Van Cliburn Foundation. American Airlines;
"Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust," Bank of America,
Trustee; Steinway & Sons; and
XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors.
Official Sponsors are the Amon G. Carter
Foundation, Arts Council of Fort Worth &
Tarrant County, Beaumont Foundation of
America, the Burnett 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.
