July 28, 2022

The Cliburn proudly announces the 2022–2023 concert tours of the medalists of the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Yunchan Lim(gold, 18, South Korea), Anna Geniushene (silver, 31, Russia), and Dmytro Choni (bronze, 28, Ukraine). The Competition took place June 2–18, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas USA.

As part of their prize packages, the three medalists receive a comprehensive and personalized career management package, including three years of concert bookings, artistic planning mentorship, traditional and social media training, logistics support, and tax and financial planning guidance, as well as a complete promotional package. For the laureates of the Cliburn, competing in—and winning—one of the world’s major classical music events marks only the beginning of their professional lives in music. The Competition is foremost a launch pad for establishing meaningful careers.

Over 17 days of intense competition and incredible music-making, more than 8.5 million people in 170 countries watched online and millions more watched on-demand in the days following (with Yunchan Lim’s performance of Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 reaching #24 in globally trending videos on YouTube, amassing 1.2 million views in less than 24 hours. It’s currently at 6 million.) Competition videos have now garnered 25 million views. The world fell in love with these young pianists through more than 2,000 news stories published over the course of the Competition.

A Luminous Start to the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Toasting the 60th Anniversary with a New Concert Hall and Viewership Expected to Top 10 Million

The Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition opened yesterday, marking 60 years since the inaugural competition in 1962. This year’s Competition once again brings together the world’s most promising young pianists in Fort Worth, Texas, fostering the talents of the next generation of pianists while reaching an international audience with viewership expected to top 10 million. 

“60 years later, the Cliburn stays true to its original mission,” shares Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis, “and it’s a dual mandate: to support young artists and to share music with as many people as possible.”

This year’s Cliburn Competition is especially noteworthy as the Preliminary and Quarterfinal Rounds will be held in the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, which opened on April 7, 2022. The concert hall has an acoustical volume similar to venues double or triple the seating capacity, and seats 717 people around the entire perimeter of the hall. Designed by nationally acclaimed BORA Architects, the exterior of TCU Music Center boasts impressive floor-to-ceiling windows and rough stone work, while the interior of the Van Cliburn Concert Hall is outfitted with light wood walls.

“It’s so fitting the Cliburn returns to TCU, its original home, this year, and especially in this gorgeous new hall honoring Van and his legacy,” continues Marquis. “Van was always working to make classical music as beautiful and accessible as possible, and we can honor that by welcoming music lovers worldwide to join us in this beautiful space and to listen from wherever they are. This is also so exciting to welcome live audiences back to any venue – but especially to the Van Cliburn Concert Hall – after the pandemic.”

Van Cliburn: A Global Piano Phenom

Van Cliburn (1934-2013) achieved worldwide recognition at the age of 23, and during the height of the Cold War, won the inaugural International Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958. 

Cliburn’s popularity as a pianist won legions to appreciate classical music in the 20th century, and he became an ambassador for American culture. He performed across the world and to audiences composed of royalty and many heads of state, including all presidents from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama, and even playing for President Reagan and Soviet President Gorbachev at an invited performance at the White House in 1987. His many lifetime achievements include receiving the Kennedy Center Honors, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Yet, for all his worldwide travels and fame, Cliburn always remained a Texan at heart. He moved with his family to Texas as a young boy, and it was in Fort Worth that the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was held in 1962, and has continued every four years since (excluding the pandemic delay). 

“Just as Cliburn sought to build bridges through music, we seek to reach more audiences each year, and to advance the pinnacle of musical achievement by supporting the next generation of artists,” states Marquis. “We expect over 10 million viewers to be enjoying the skillful playing of these young artists over the next two weeks.”

A Musical Olympiad 

Like the Olympics, the Cliburn Competition takes place every four years, and like the world’s most famous quadrennial sporting event, the Cliburn also invites the world’s most elite practitioners to the Competition. 

Thirty international artists representing 15 countries have been selected to compete in Texas. From a record-breaking field of 388 applicants, 72 pianists were chosen to perform a 25-minute recital before the Screening Jury and a live audience at TCU in March. The Jury, consisting of Angela Cheng (Canada), Arnaldo Cohen (Brazil), Christopher Elton (United Kingdom), Alexander Kobrin (United States), and Anton Nel (South Africa/United States) selected the 30 musicians competing in this year’s event. 

Continuing in the legacy of Van Cliburn himself, the artists were selected solely due to their talent and virtuosity, and in the spirit of celebrating how music can help heal during times of international conflict and distress. There are artists from Australia, Belarus, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States. 

Over the next few days, the competitors will each perform a 40-minute recital during the Preliminary Round. The artists select pieces that best represent their individual voices, and all will also perform the piece Fanfare Toccata, a commissioned piece by distinguished British pianist and composer Stephen Hough, who is also on the Competition Jury. The 18 individuals who advance to the Quarterfinal Round will take the stage again beginning June 5. 

June 8 through12, the Semifinal Round will see 12 competitors perform in two phases; first, a 60-minute solo recital, and secondly, a Mozart concerto led by celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. In the Finals, world-renowned conductor (and Jury Chairman) Marin Alsop (United States) will lead the six finalists and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra through two concertos between June 14-18. 

In addition to Alsop and Hough, the Competition Jury consists of some of the world’s best performance pianists: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (France), Alessio Bax (Italy), Rico Gulda (Austria), Andreas Haefliger (Switzerland), Wu Han (China Taiwan/United States), Anne-Marie McDermott  (United States), Orli Shaham (Israel/United States), and ​​Lilya Zilberstein (Germany). 

The top prizes will be handed out at the Awards Ceremony on June 18. The pianists compete to become one of the three medalists, which includes a generous cash prize, in addition to a comprehensive and personalized career management package, including three years of concert bookings, commercial recording releases, and a full promotional package. The 2022 cash prizes for medalists have increased this year to $100,000 for gold, $50,000 for silver, and $25,000 for bronze. In addition, the gold medalist will receive international management and booking services to launch a global career. There are also over a dozen additional cash prizes for artists totaling more than $70,000. 

“We know the caliber of musician that has already been selected as one of the 30 competitors,” states Marquis. “They are so splendid, and we look forward to hearing each of them perform for the warm and welcoming Fort Worth audience. Then, we are proud to help our new winners as they grow into meaningful careers as professional pianists.”

January 26, 2022

Applications are now open for the Third Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, taking place June 8–17, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. Talented pianists age 13 to 17 are encouraged to apply by January 10, 2023; 24 will be accepted as competitors in the internationally renowned event, and another 14 will be selected as non-competing festival participants. All applicants must have been born on or after June 17, 2005, and before June 8, 2010. Complete details and the application can be found at cliburn.org/2023-junior-competition/application.

The first three Competition rounds, as well as all festival events, will be hosted on the campus of SMU, where participants will also reside throughout their time in Dallas. For the Final Round, three young pianists will perform full concertos with the renowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Janina Fialkowska, Canadian virtuoso pianist, educator, and artistic director, will serve as jury chairman. For over 40 years, she has enchanted audiences and critics around the world. She has been praised for her musical integrity, her refreshing natural approach, and her unique piano sound, thus becoming “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing” (Frankfurter Allgemeine). Janina previously served on the Screening Jury for the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. For more information and hi-res photos, visit fialkowska.com.

ABOUT THE CLIBURN JUNIOR

The Junior Competition and Festival was established in 2015 as another means for the Cliburn to use its standing and expertise to encourage tomorrow’s great artists, to provide a valuable forum for them to express themselves, and to give them an entrance to the next step of their journeys. Key ingredients were top international jurors, the media and webcast, Final Round performances with orchestra, and the festival atmosphere, which included performance experience and artistic workshops—all put into place to make the program significantly useful for students with aspirations of being professional musicians.

The Second Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival was held in Dallas, Texas, May 31–June 8, 2019, and drew 230 applications from 32 countries. Over 20 journalists, including several from Europe, covered the event in person, writing over 120 stories about the Competition and the 23 pianists who participated. Live and on demand webcast views have topped 620,000 for over 3.8 million minutes watched by viewers in 120 countries.

2023 CLIBURN JUNIOR SCHEDULE

• Preliminary Round: 24 pianists each perform a 20-minute recital, to include a Bach Prelude and Fugue and one fast, virtuosic etude
• Quarterfinal Round: 14 pianists each perform a 30-minute recital, to include one movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven
• Semifinal Round: 6 pianists each perform in two phases:
  • A 40-minute recital, to include one work by a living composer and a substantial work of at least 16 minutes and one slow, lyrical work
  • One movement of their selected concerto (chosen from a provided list) with piano accompaniment
• Final Round: 3 pianists perform a full concerto with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra

For full competition rules and repertoire requirements and lists, visit cliburn.org/2023-junior-competition/application.

October 20, 2021

The Cliburn announces the Spring 2022 season of its signature concert series, Cliburn Concerts, offering more variety of options than ever before, both in the kinds of concerts offered and the places they can be heard. In addition to the traditional venues of the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, concerts will be presented at The Post at River East and Tulips Fort Worth. Full schedule below.

Subscriptions go on sale tomorrow, September 30, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Patrons can choose three or more concerts to receive a scale of discounts on single ticket prices. (15% off three; 20% off four; 25% off five or more). Single tickets will go on sale on October 20, 2021. Information and tickets at cliburn.org/concerts or by calling 817.212.4280.

“One of our best learnings from the pandemic is how much people love alternative venues, where they can have a drink and listen to a more casual, but still excellent concert,” said Jacques Marquis, president and CEO. “They’re also clamoring for the return of traditional recitals in Fort Worth’s gorgeous museums. So we’ve created a season full of options and choices, bringing a fresh energy to the concert-going experience and allowing our patrons to curate their own season.”

October 15, 2020

NEW EPISODES EVERY OTHER SUNDAY AT 2:00 PM CT ON FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE

Cliburn Masterpiece is a new series that examines the who, what, when, where, and how of the greatest piano works. Cliburn laureates and other esteemed specialists, in and outside the field of music, join host Buddy Bray to lead us through the story of each piece—the composer, the background, the narrative, the characters, the technical difficulties, and more. Each episode ends with a standout, full performance of the piece from a past Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.