July 28, 2021
The Cliburn announces today the details of the 2022 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition, taking place October 12–18, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas, with the first two rounds at PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU and the Final Round concert with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Damon Gupton at Bass Performance Hall. This eighth edition of the Cliburn Amateur was previously scheduled for May 2020.
The 2022 Cliburn Amateur competitors hail from all over the world, representing 19 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States. They range in age from 38 to 72, with a median age of 51.
An additional 20 pianists (also listed below) have been selected as non-competing festival participants, bringing the total number of pianists to 68 and countries represented to 23 with the addition of China, Egypt, Honduras, and Russia.
The 2022 Cliburn Amateur Competitors represent a wide range of professional industries including: IT/Software (13), Management/Business (11), Medicine (8), Finance/Accounting (5), Law (4), and Academia (4), a playwright, a realtor, and a freelance translator.
Applications closed January 16, 2020, and a selection committee chose the 48 competitors and 24 festival participants from an impressive pool of 205 applicants representing 32 countries, through online applications and video submissions of 15 to 20 minutes in length. Competitors were originally announced in March 2020, prior to the Competition’s postponement. Four competitors previously announced were unable to participate during the rescheduled dates; as those positions were filled by alternates, applications will not re-open.
The Amateur Competition highlights the importance of music-making in everyday life, bringing together the world’s best non-professional pianists age 35 and older for seven days of performances, symposia, and social events. All rounds are open to the public, as are many of the festival events. We hope you’ll join us for this truly inspiring, international event, where everyday people become stars of the stage. Tickets will go on sale in Spring 2022.
2022 CLIBURN AMATEUR COMPETITORS – See full Competitor Grid
Format: Name, Occupation, Age at time of Competition, Current City of Residence
UNITED STATES
California
Gorden Cheng, Information Security Architect, 41 (San Diego)
John Gutheil, CEO–Medical Oncologist, 66 (La Jolla); also representing United Kingdom
Hyongsoon Kim, Attorney, 43 (La Habra)
Jon Lee, Software Manager, 41 (San Francisco)
Aaron Miller, Academic Administrator, 42 (Los Angeles)
District of Columbia
Simon Finlow, IT Project Manager (Retired), 66; also representing United Kingdom
Illinois
Allen Racho, Software Architect, 49 (Bolingbrook)
Maryland
Eladio Santiago, President & CEO–Advisory Investment Management, 58 (West Friendship)
Massachusetts
Robert Finley, Electronics Engineer (Retired), 72 (Northborough)
James Rosenblum, Attorney, 41 (Harwich)
Minnesota
Adrienne Johnson, Playwright, 68 (Minneapolis)
New York
Henri-Robert Delbeau, Physician, 59 (Williston Park)
Michael Slavin, Neuro-Ophthalmologist (retired), 71 (Manhasset)
North Carolina
Matthew Barnhill, Accountant, 38 (Charlotte)
Gregory Knight, Software Engineer, 60 (Morganton)
Richard Reid, Software Engineer, 71 (Cary)
Rhode Island
Suzanna Laramee, Financial Advisor (Retired), 66 (Newport)
Texas
Noah DeGarmo, Physician, 44 (Dallas)
Marisa Naomi Haines, Business Strategist, 66 (Murphy); also representing Brazil
Irene Longacre-Whiteside, Executive Assistant, 67 (Arlington)
INTERNATIONAL
Argentina
Miriam Berro, Software Engineer, 65 (lives in Montréal, Canada); also representing Canada
France
Xavier Aymonod, Marketing Director, 46 (Paris)
Julien Bedon, System Simulation Engineer, 40 (lives in Yokohama, Japan)
Thierry Goldwaser, Software Developer, 46 (Ploeren)
Vincent Letourmy, Chief Operating Officer, 51 (lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Dominique Salloum, CEO–Artificial Intelligence Industry, 53 (Cormontreuil); also representing Lebanon
Germany
Uta Hielscher, Executive Assistant, 52 (Deggendorf)
Greece
Michael Stefanakis, Tax Attorney, 40 (Athens)
Indonesia
Ferdy Talan, Realtor, 38 (lives in West New York, New Jersey)
Ireland
Deirbhile Brennan, Accountant, 53 (Dublin)
Italy
Filippo Tresca, International Tax Consultant, 41 (Barletta)
Japan
Ken Iisaka, Software Engineer, 53 (lives in Foster City, California); also representing Canada
Keiko Kircher, College Physics Instructor, 41 (lives in Champaign, Illinois); also representing United States
Yasuo Kurimoto, Ophthalmologist, 61 (Kobe)
Rie Moore, Translator, 47 (lives in Lexington Park, Maryland)
Masanori Murakami, Clinical Research Associate, 38 (Tokyo)
Kesuke Ota, Research Scientist, 41 (Yokohama)
Yuka Otohata, Marketing Operations Professional, 51 (Tokyo)
Hiroko Toya, Attorney, 65 (Tokyo)
Eiji Yoshimura, Business Planning Director, 50 (Tokyo)
Mexico
Jorge Zamora, Business Development Director–Wireless Technology, 49 (Huixquilucan)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sean Sutherland, Production Manager, 45 (lives in Montréal, Canada); also representing Canada
South Korea
Youjin Hong, Psychiatrist, 41 (Gangneung)
Yeon Wook Jeong, Entrepreneur/Attorney, 53 (Seoul)
Seung-Yeop Lee, Mathematics Professor, 47 (lives in Tampa, Florida)
Taiwan
Felicia Cheng, Neuroscience Researcher, 39 (lives in Göttingen, Germany); also representing Germany
Turkey
Ipek Bozkurt, Professor, 42 (lives in Seabrook, Texas); also representing United States
Ukraine
Dmytro Vynogradov, Business Development Manager, 52 (Kyiv)
2022 CLIBURN AMATEUR NON-COMPETING FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS
Kathy Hodge Abrahamson, Nurse Practitioner, 61, United States (Arlington, Texas)
Anna Antimiichuk, Communications Executive, 39, Russia/United Kingdom (London)
Diane Austin, Researcher (retired), 68, United States (Fort Worth, Texas)
Luis Alberto Bernhard, Retinal Angiographer, 72, Honduras (Miami, Florida)
Luke Berryman, Director of Faculty Recruitment, 38, United Kingdom (New York, New York)
Stephen Bertges, Sales and Marketing Executive (Retired), 70, United States (El Dorado Hills, California)
Xiao Chen, Management Professor, 43, China/Canada (Charlottetown, Canada)
Ruth Dillon, Project Manager, 61, Egypt/United States (Troy, Virginia)
Vivienne Fleischer, Ergonomics Consultant/Entrepreneur, 58, United States (Brooklyn, New York)
Catherine Grimball, Military Spouse, 42, United States (Camp Lejeune, North Carolina)
Eugene Lee, CEO, 60, United States (Palo Alto, California)
Olivia Lee, Scientific Writer, 41, United States (Seattle, Washington)
Barbara Roeser, Physician – Dermatology, 66, Germany (Bad Arolsen)
Heesun Joyce Rogers, Physician, 59, United States (North Royalton, Ohio)
Esfir Ross, Dental Assistant (retired), 75, United States (Oakland, California)
John William Schleifer, Physician, 40, United States (Omaha, Nebraska)
Hideko Tazawa, Supply Chain Professional, 66, Japan (Tokyo)
Wei Ling Wang, Computer Network Engineer, 58, United States (Plano, Texas)
Elizabeth Yin, Stay-at-Home Mom, 55, United States (Los Altos, California)
Victor You, Attorney, 58, United States (New York, New York)