March 5, 2008
Deadline to submit a video: April 30, 2008
FORT WORTH, TEXAS-- The Van Cliburn Foundation announced that it
will host its first Cliburn YouTube Contest this spring. To enter,
eligible amateur pianists should submit a five-to-ten-minute
performance video to be judged by online viewers. The winner of the
Cliburn YouTube Contest will be entered in the next International
Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, to be held in the
summer of 2011; the application fee will be waived.
The contest is open to any classical pianist who does not derive
a significant portion of his/her income from performance,
composition, and/or piano instruction, and is at least thirty-five
years old. The winner must meet all eligibility requirements.
Videos should be posted in the group Contest for Amateur
Classical Pianists, which can be found on the Van Cliburn
Foundation's YouTube Channel. Pianists have until April 30, 2008,
to post their five-to-ten-minute videos.
Van Cliburn Foundation director of marketing Sevan Melikyan
remarked: "We created the YouTube contest to inspire and motivate
amateur pianists to practice and perfect their skills continually,
until the main competition takes place in 2011."
Beginning May 1, voters may go online and select the contestant
of their choice. Voters will be required to register through the
Cliburn's website, and will be sent a ballot via email. Voting
closes on May 15, 2008.
For more information, including rules and regulations and video
clips from the Amateur Competition, please visit www.cliburn.org.
The Van Cliburn Foundation has held its International Piano
Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Fort Worth since 1999 in
the 1200-seat Ed Landreth Hall on the campus of Texas Christian
University.
Seventy-five pianists participate in the quadrennial three-round
competition. Each pianist plays twelve minutes in the first round,
twenty in the second, and thirty in the final round.
There are numerous prizes awarded, including a First Prize of
$2,000 cash.
Former Amateur Competition juries have included Cliburn
Competition gold medalists, distinguished music professors, and
music directors. Press juries have included writers from the Los
Angeles Times, Chicago Sun Times, Oregonian, Kansas City Star, Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, and Dallas Morning News, among others.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor of the Van Cliburn
Foundation. American Airlines, Bank of America, City of Fort Worth,
Eastman Kodak Company, JPMorgan Chase, Star- Telegram, Steinway
& Sons, and XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors,
and Clear Channel Communications and RadioShack are the Cliburn's
Corporate Sponsors. Official Sponsors are the Arts Council of Fort
Worth and Tarrant County, The Burnett Foundation, Once Upon a
Time..., and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.
Contact: Sevan Melikyan Dir. of P.R.
email: sevan@cliburn.org
phone: 817.738.6536
web:
