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2022 Cliburn Competition

SIXTEENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
JUNE 2–18, 2022
VAN CLIBURN CONCERT HALL AT TCU • BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
Marin Alsop, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Beverley Taylor Smith Award for Best Performance of a New Work: Yunchan Lim ($5,000)
Best Performance of a Mozart Concerto: Ilya Shmukler ($5,000)
John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award: Marcel Tadokoro ($5,000)
Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award: Changyong Shin ($5,000)
Patricia and Neal Steffen Family Jury Discretionary Award: Andrew Li ($5,000)
Carla and Kelly Thompson Audience Award presented by Medici.tv: Yunchan Lim ($2,500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

YUNCHAN LIM  Yunchan’s debut with the New York Philharmonic in May 2023 was named a Critics’ Pick by The New York Times, and led them to call his performance of Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 3 a “literal” dream: “the juxtaposition of precise clarity and expansive reverie; the vivid scenes and bursts of wit; the sense of contrasting yet organically developing moods; the endless and persuasive bendings of time—the qualities that tend to characterize nighttime wanderings of the mind.” As the Evening Standard noted following his Wigmore debut: “We’re at the start of something special.” Yunchan signed with Decca Classics in October 2023 and continues touring in 2024–2025.

ANNA GENIUSHENE  Accolades ensued for the silver medalist—Musical America named her Young Artist of the Month in July 2022 and Pianist magazine featured her on the cover in June 2023—and invitations from well-respected institutions followed. Anna’s newest album—a deeply personal project of lullabies spanning from John Field and Liszt to Dutilleux and Weinberg—is released in September 2023, and she is set to record a duo disc with her husband and frequent collaborator, pianist Lukas Geniušas, for release next year on the Alpha label. She will join the roster of the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for 2024–2027. She currently resides in Lithuania with her husband and their two young sons.

DMYTRO CHONI  Forthcoming highlights for Dmytro include recital and chamber music debuts at Vienna Konzerthaus, recital debuts in Lucerne and Hamburg, and a return to the Palau de la Música, Barcelona for a solo recital. During the 2023–24 season he will give recitals with violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann in Munich and Milan, among others. Dmytro regularly appears as soloist with renowned orchestras, such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Ukraine National Symphony. His debut album was released by Naxos in 2020, containing works from the 20th century by Debussy, Ginastera, Ligeti and Prokofiev, receiving a “Supersonic Award” by Pizzicato magazine. He is currently studying with Prof. Dr. Milana Chernyavska at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.

CLAYTON STEPHENSON  Recent and upcoming highlights of Clayton’s burgeoning career include appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Fort Worth, Louisville, Lansing and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras; as well as recitals at the Phillips Collection Concert Series in Washington, DC, Foundation Louis Vuitton Auditorium in Paris, Bad Kissinger Sommer Festival and BeethovenFest in Germany, Colour of Music Festival, Ravinia Festival and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.  He has been featured on NPR, WUOL, and WQXR, and appeared in the “GRAMMY® Salute to Classical Music” Concert at Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium. He now studies in the Harvard-NEC Dual Degree Program, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance at the New England Conservatory under Wha Kyung Byun.

ILYA SHMUKLER  Ilya is a laureate of many international piano competitions, taking top prizes at the New York Virtuoso, Lewisville Lake Symphony, Artist Presentation Society (St. Louis), Shigeru Kawai (Tokyo), Sсriabin–Rachmaninov (Bulgaria), and Rachmaninov (St. Petersburg) Competitions. In 2021, he won the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall Debut Audition and made his New York debut at the venerated venue on December 13, 2022. He completed his master’s degree with honors at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2021, under the guidance of Elena Kuznetsova and Sergey Kuznetsov. Presently, he studies with 2001 Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, Missouri.

ULADZISLAU KHANDOHI  Uladzislau has became a laureate of many international competitions, releasing a solo album with Melodiya. Since 2020, Uladzislau has been a student at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, studying with Professor Natalia Trull. He has toured in Belarus, Russia, Spain, Italy and France. He most recently won the 2021 editions of the Ferrol International Piano Competition in Spain and the Sanremo International Piano Competition in Italy. Uladzislau is a scholarship student of the Yuri Rozum International Charitable Foundation.

JURY

Marin Alsop, chairman (United States)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (France)
Alessio Bax (Italy)
Rico Gulda (Austria)
Andreas Haefliger (Switzerland)
Stephen Hough (United Kingdom)
Anne-Marie McDermott (United States)
Orli Shaham (Israel/United States)
Lilya Zilberstein (Germany)
Wu Han (China Taiwan/United States)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductors: Nicholas McGegan (Semifinal Round), Marin Alsop (Final Round)
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Stephen Hough, Fanfare Toccata

2019 Cliburn Junior Winners

SHUAN HERN LEE (1ST), EVA GEVORGYAN (2ND), JIWON YANG (3RD)
2019 JUNIOR COMPETITION WINNERS RECITAL SHOWCASE      

PROGRAM

JIWON YANG (3rd)
LISZT Réminiscences de Norma after Bellini

EVA GEVORGYAN (2nd)
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12
SAINT-SAENS Étude en forme de Valse
HINDEMITH “Ragtime” from Suite “1922,” op. 26

SHUAN HERN LEE (1st)
BARTOK Three Etudes, op. 18

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

JIWON YANG
With an “impressive technique and natural bravura,” JiWon gained fans at the 2019 Cliburn Junior. Since making her recital debut at age 9 in Seoul and her concerto debut at 13 in Kazahkstan, she has participated in concerts, festivals, and competitions in North America, Europe, and Asia. Notable performances include those with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, and at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Philippines Chopin Society. She was recently accepted into the Mannes School of Music and looks forward to moving to New York in the fall to study with Richard Goode and Pavlina Dokovska.

EVA GEVORGYAN
At just 16, Eva is already building an international reputation for “electrifying emotional intelligence” and “an astonishing sense of style.” With over 40 international competition wins under her belt for piano and composition, Eva was also named Discovery Award winner at the 2019 International Classical Music Awards. Notable performances include those with the Lucerne Symphony, Mariinsky Theatre, and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, working with conductors Valery Gergiev, Vasily Petrenko, Lawrence Foster, and Gerhardt Zimmermann. She made her Royal Albert Hall debut in 2019, and has performed for the presidents of Armenia and Italy. She is a student at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, where she studies piano with Natalia Trull and composition with Tatiana Chudova.

SHUAN HERN LEE
During last year’s Cliburn Junior, Shuan was heralded for “emotional command and vigorous sweep,” demonstrating “style, technique, and depth and breadth of musical imagination.” He has performed across Europe and his native Australia, as well as in the United States, China, Russia, and Indonesia. Notable collaborations include those with the Minnesota, Moscow State, Armenia State Philharmonic, Jakarta Symphony, and Dallas Symphony Orchestras. He just finished his third year of study at the University of Western Australia, where he is pursuing a BA in piano. He also attends the International Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro (Italy), where he studies with Ingrid Fliter, as well as continuing to study with Yoon Sen Lee, with whom he started lessons at age 2.

2015 Cliburn Junior Winners

Alim Beisembayev (1st), Arsenii Mun (2nd), Youlan Ji (3rd)
2015 Junior Competition Winners Recital Showcase

PROGRAM
(originally broadcast from TCU – Texas Christian University June 2015)

YOULAN JI
RACHMANINOV Etude-Tableaux, op. 33, nos. 2, 6, 8, & 9

Arsenii MUN
BEETHOVEN 32 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80
LISZT La campanella

ALIM BEISEMBAYEV
RACHMANINOV Prelude in G Major, op. 32, no. 5
DEBUSSY Feux d’artifice
LISZT Paganini Etude No. 6 in A Minor

ABOUT THE 2015 JUNIOR WINNERS:

ALIM BEISEMBAYEV
Shortly after his 2015 Cliburn Junior win—when he was declared “impressive and clearly worth watching”— Alim graduated from the Purcell School for Young Musicians and was accepted at the Royal Academy of Music with a full scholarship, to continue his studies with Tessa Nicholson. He has since made his debuts at the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Festival Hall (and with that, been featured on BBC Radio) and gone on to win prizes at the Manchester International, Vigo International, and Jacques Samuel Intercollegiate Piano Competitions. Born in Kazakhstan, Alim started playing piano when he was 5; at age 10, he moved to Moscow to study at the Central Music school, and two years later, moved again to London to study at the Purcell School.

ARSENII MUN
Now 21, Arsenii moved to New York in fall 2019 to study with Sergei Babayan at The Juilliard School, after nine years at the St. Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov and its affiliated Middle Special School of Music. Since his Cliburn appearance, he continues to grow his profile in the United States and Europe, and has been recognized with the Tabor Foundation Award as best pianist at Verbier Festival Academy, 1st prize at both the International Competition for Young Pianists Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam and the International Piano Competition in Saint-Priest, France, and winner of the Yuri Temirkanov Prize. He continues to refine his skills on the soccer field and snowboard when weather and social-distancing permit.

YOULAN JI
Born in Beijing, Youlan started piano lessons at age 4, and moved to New York upon acceptance at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division at age 13. At the 2015 Cliburn Junior, she was hailed for performances that were “stunning,” with playing that is “clean, sparkling, light and scampering… intelligent.” Just 16 at that time, she has since won first prize at the New York International Piano Competition and made debuts at the Phillips Collection and other young artist series across New York. She also graduated from the Professional Children’s School in New York, and entered Juilliard as an undergraduate student in 2018, continuing to work with Yoheved Kaplinsky.

2013 Cliburn Competition

FOURTEENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 24–JUNE 9, 2013
NANCY LEE AND PERRY R. BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work: Vadym Kholodenko ($5,000)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for the Best Performance of Chamber Music: Vadym Kholodenko ($6,000)
John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award: Steven Lin ($4,000)
Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award*: Alessandro Deljavan ($4,000)
Jury Discretionary Award: Claire Huangci ($4,000)
Audience Award: Beatrice Rana ($2,500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

VADYM KHOLODENKO  The Ukrainian gold medalist quickly emerged as one of the most gifted performers of his generation. Amongst his touring activities, he has been artist-in-residence with the SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart, Filarmonica Toscanini, and Fort Worth Symphony. His solo album of Scriabin received the Diapason d’Or de l’Année in 2018, which was followed by acclaimed recordings of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky; future plans include works of Chopin and Godovsky.

BEATRICE RANA The Italian pianist has made waves on the international music scene since her Cliburn appearance. She was named Young Artist of the Year at the Gramophone Awards, “Discovery of the Year” at the Edison Awards, and Female Artist of the Year at the Classic BRIT Awards, and her 2019 release of Stravinsky and Ravel received the Diapason d’Or de l’Année. In 2017, she founded the Classiche Forme music festival in her hometown of Lecce; she has also taken on artistic directorship of the Orchestra Filarmonica di Beneveto. She records exclusively for Warner Classics and was named artist-in-residence at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in the 2022–2023 season.

SEAN CHEN  The charismatic American continues to grow his career, adding debuts with major orchestras and in prestigious venues every year. He is an advocate of new music who also writes and performs his own transcriptions and compositions. He is in demand as a juror and for residencies that combine educational with concert activities. He is currently Millsap Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory.

FEI-FEI DONG  The Chinese finalist performs widely as a concert pianist, also deeply involved in community and educational activities. In recent years, she has toured with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic (Germany) and New York Youth Symphony (Spain), and formed the Aletheia Piano Trio and a chamber project “The Inner Voices.”

NIKITA MNDOYANTS  He balances a career of concertizing, teaching, and composing. Recent highlight include performances for Radio France Musique and the International Piano Series in Fribourg, Switzerland, and his 2017 album release of Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Schumann. His solo and chamber compositions are published by Composers, Muzyka, and Jurgenson. He continues his long association with the Festival International de Musique de Wissembourg as artistic director; he recently moved to Wissembourg with his wife and daughter.

TOMOKI SAKATA  2022 was a year of firsts for the Japanese pianist: Tomoki made his conducting debut with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and published his own piano transcriptions. He has recently won major prizes at the 2021 Queen Elisabeth (4th, 2021) and Kissinger Klavierolymp (1st and Audience, 2019), and received the Vendome Prize in 2017. He continues to grow his performance career throughout Europe and Asia.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Dmitri Alexeev (Russia)
Michel Beroff (France)
Andrea Bonatta (Italy)
Richard Dyer (United States)
Joseph Kalichstein (Israel/United States)
Yoheved Kaplinsky (Israel)
Liu Shi Kun (China)
Minoru Nojima (Japan)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Blanca Uribe (Colombia)
Arie Vardi (Israel)
Xian Zhang (China)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Leonard Slatkin
Chamber Music: Brentano String Quartet
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Christopher Theofanidis, Birichino
Master of Ceremonies: Fred Child
Official Artwork: Untitled (Cliburn Competition) by Ed Ruscha
Documentary: Virtuosity: The Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, directed by Christopher Wilkinson

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

2009 Cliburn Competition

THIRTEENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 22–JUNE 7, 2009
NANCY LEE AND PERRY R. BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work: Nobuyuki Tsujii ($5,000)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performances of Chamber Music: Evgeni Bozhanov and Yeol eum Son ($3,000 each)
John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award: Alessandro Deljavan ($4,000)
Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award*: Lukáš Vondrácek ($4,000)
Jury Discretionary Award: Eduard Kunz ($4,000)
Internet Audience Award: Mariangela Vacatello

WINNERS’ UPDATES

NOBUYUKI TSUJII  The Japanese pianist rocketed to celebrity status when he won Cliburn gold. He has performed in the top venues across four continents and is an exclusive recording artist for Avex Classics International. He was featured prominently in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics Opening Ceremony, and is the subject of Peter Rosen’s documentary Touching the Sound.

HAOCHEN ZHANG The Chinese pianist’s career continues to grow since his 2009 Cliburn appearance: BIS Records released his first acclaimed concerto album, made subscription debuts with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestras, and recently collaborated with Shangri-La Hotels on their 50th anniversary #withheart campaign.

YEOL EUM SON The South Korean followed her silver medal win at the Cliburn with silver at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011. Her performance career spans North America, Europe, and Asia, and she records for DECCA and Onyx. Recognized for her versatility and creativity, she was appointed artistic director of Music in PeongChang 2018; she is also active as a writer and TV personality and collaborated with Chanel on its 100th Anniversary for W Korea magazine.

EVGENI BOZHANOV  The native of Bulgaria has built a reputation as a risk-taking, original pianist and is active in Europe and Asia. He was appointed professor of piano at the Folkwang Universität der Künste (Essen) in 2019, the same year as his latest recording by Avanticlassic.

MARIANGELA VACATELLO Ms. Vacatello was artist-in-residence alongside composer Georges Aperghis at IRCAM, a Paris-based incubator for music and technology. A prolific recording artist, she released her newest recording of Chopin and Schumann in August 2021, which joins a versatile discography featuring Ginastera, Liszt, and Debussy. Based in Umbria, she balances her performance activities with her commitment to teaching at the Conservatoire “F. Morlacchi” and the Pinerolo International Music Academy.

DI WU Now based in Montreal, Ms. Wu has performed widely in Asia, Europe, and the United States, highlighted by collaborations with Christoph Eschenbach, James Conlon, Ludovic Morlot, Yu Long, and Charles Dutoit. She embarked on a sold-out arena tour with singer Sarah Brightman in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico, and a sold-out stadium concert in Tokyo, which was recorded and released by Sony-Epic Records.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Marcello Abbado (Italy)
Dmitri Alexeev (Russia)
Hung-Kuan Chen (United States)
Michel Beroff (France)
Richard Dyer (United States)
Joseph Kalichstein (Israel)
Yoheved Kaplinsky (Israel)
Jürgen Meyer-Josten (Germany)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Tadeusz Strugała (Poland)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: James Conlon
Chamber Music: Takács Quartet
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
American Composers Invitational Grand Prize: Mason Bates ($5,000)
American Composers Invitational New Works: Mason Bates, White Lies for Lomax; Derek Bermel, Turning; Daron Hagen, Suite for Piano; John Musto, Improvisation & Fugue
Master of Ceremonies: Fred Child
Official Artwork:  Ivan Chermayeff, incorporating Treble Clefs by Josef Albers, 1932. Courtesy of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.
Documentary: A Surprise in Texas: The Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, directed by Peter Rosen

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

2005 Cliburn Competition

TWELFTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 20–JUNE 5, 2005
NANCY LEE AND PERRY R. BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work: Joyce Yang ($5,000)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performances of Chamber Music: Joyce Yang ($6,000)
Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award: Maria Mazo ($4,000)
Jury Discretionary Awards: Jie Chen, Sodi Braide, Gabriela Martinez ($4,000 each)
Internet Audience Award: Alexander Kobrin (Apple iPod Photo)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

ALEXANDER KOBRIN  The Russian gold medalist also won the Cliburn’s first Internet Audience Award. In addition to performing across Asia, Europe, and the United States, he is the L. Rexford Whiddon Distinguished Chair in Piano at Columbus State University, and since 2013 has also been a member of the celebrated Artist Faculty at New York University’s Steinhardt School. In July 2017, Mr. Kobrin will join the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

JOYCE YANG  The silver medalist was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2010, and today enjoys a busy concert schedule. Recent highlights include debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra and San Diego Symphony, and tours with violinist Augustin Hadelich. In 2016, she released her first recording with Hadelich as well as the world-premiere recording of Michael Torke’s concerto Three Manhattan Bridges, a piece created for her.

SA CHEN  The Beijing-based Crystal Award winner is a piano star in China. Her recent engagements have included concerto dates with the San Francisco Symphony, recital tours in China and Germany, and a performance in Washington, D.C. as part of the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day event.

DAVIDE CABASSI  Mr. Cabassi has performed widely, especially in Italy, and has been a faculty member of the Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano and artist-in-residence at the Col legno Festival in Lucca. Among his many recordings are discs of Mozart (2013) and Beethoven (2014) sonatas on the DECCA label.

CHU-FANG HUANG  The Chinese pianist won top prizes at the Cleveland Competition and Young Concert Artist Auditions shortly after being named a Cliburn finalist. She received the 2011 Avery Fisher Career Grant, is a Steinway Artist, and continues an active performing career.

ROBERTO PLANO  Since being named a Cliburn finalist, this Italian has maintained an active concert schedule in Europe and the United States. He founded and teaches at the Accademia Musicale Varesina, and created the Music Association “Alfred Cortot” to spread the joy of classical music while emphasizing music education for children. His 2016 debut recording for DECCA Classics featured the Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses by Liszt, which DECCA had not recorded since the 1960s. In September 2016, he joined the faculty of Boston University.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Marcello Abbado (Italy)
Peter Cossé (Germany)
Richard Dyer (United States)
Claude Frank (United States)
Thomas Frost (United States)
Joseph Kalichstein (Israel/United States)
Jürgen Meyer-Josten (Germany)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Tadeusz Strugała (Poland)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: James Conlon
Chamber Music: Takács Quartet
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
American Composers Invitational Grand Prize: Sebastian Currier ($5,000)
American Composers Invitational New Works: Sebastian Currier, Scarlatti Cadences + Brainstorm; Jennifer Higdon, Secret & Glass Gardens; Daniel Kellogg, scarlet thread; Jan Krzywicki, Nocturnals; Ruth Schonthal, Sonata quasi un’improvvisazione
Master of Ceremonies: Van Cliburn
Official Artwork: Howard Hodgkin, Concert
Documentary: In the Heart of Music, directed by Andy Sommer

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

2001 Cliburn Competition

ELEVENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 25–JUNE 10, 2001
NANCY LEE AND PERRY R. BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Phyllis Jones Tilley Memorial Award for Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Antonio Pompa-Baldi ($5,000)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performances of Chamber Music: Davide Franceschetti, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Maxim Philippov ($1,000 each)
Jury Discretionary Awards: Davide Franceschetti, Sergey Koudriakov, Alexander Moutouzkine, Masaru Okada ($4,000 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

STANISLAV IOUDENITCH  A native of Uzbekistan, Mr. Ioudenitch, who shared the gold medal in 2001, founded and teaches at the International Center for Music at Park University in Kansas City, where he is also artistic director and associate professor. He joined the piano faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in fall 2017. He also is vice president of the International Piano Academy Lake Como.

OLGA KERN  The co-winner is now recognized as one of her generation’s great pianists. She performs at the world’s great venues—including the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, La Scala in Milan, and Carnegie Hall in New York—and collaborates with top conductors including Valery Gergiev, Christoph Eschenbach, and Marin Alsop. She has released six recordings on harmonia mundi usa, including her Grammy®-nominated Rachmaninoff disc. In 2016, she was jury chairman of the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition. In October 2017, she performed Barber’s Piano Concerto with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to celebrate her American citizenship. 

MAXIM PHILIPPOV  The co-silver medalist has performed recitals in top venues in Asia and Europe and is also a professor of piano at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

ANTONIO POMPA-BALDI  The Italian pianist who shared the silver medal maintains an active concert schedule and has recorded 20 CDs. In 2014, he completed performances of all the Rachmaninoff piano concertos with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2015, he performed all the Beethoven concertos in Fresno. He is one of the most prolific recording artists for SPIRIO, Steinway’s new high-resolution player piano, and teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

ALEXEY KOLTAKOV  The Ukrainian finalist has toured Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and Russia, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School in 2012 and 2014. He has established a piano studio in Sydney, Australia.

WANG XIAOHAN  The Chinese pianist, who played one of his own works in the Competition, is active as composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Marcello Abbado (Italy)
Joaquín Achúcarro (Spain)
Eileen Tate Cline (United States)
Richard Dyer (United States)
Claude Frank (United States)
Thomas Frost (United States)
Andrzej Jasinski (Poland)
Yoheved Kaplinsky (Israel)
Jürgen Meyer-Josten (Germany)
Jean-Marc Peysson (France)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Zhou Guangren (China)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: James Conlon
Chamber Music: Takács Quartet
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
American Composers Invitational Grand Prize: Lowell Liebermann ($5,000)
American Composers Invitational New Works: C. Curtis-Smith, Four Etudes; Lowell Liebermann, Three Impromptus; James Mobberley, Give ‘em Hell!; Judith Lang Zaimont, Impronta Digitale
Master of Ceremonies: James Conlon
Official Artwork: Tom Phillips, Music World I & Music World II
Documentary: The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge, directed by Peter Rosen

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1997 Cliburn Competition

TENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 23–JUNE 8, 1997
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Phyllis Jones Tilley Memorial Award for Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Naida Cole ($5,000)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performances of Chamber Music: Naida Cole, Jon Nakamatsu, Katia Skanavi ($1,000 each)
Jury Discretionary Awards: Victor Chestopal, Michail Dantchenko, Stanislav Ioudenitch ($4,000 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

JON NAKAMATSU  The most recent American to win Cliburn gold has developed a highly regarded career as both soloist and chamber musician, performing with top U.S. orchestras. He has recorded 13 CDs for harmonia mundi usa, most recently a 2014 disc of Schumann, and was jury chairman of the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition in 2015.

YAKOV KASMAN  The silver medalist is artist-in-residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he also established a piano series that frequently features Cliburn winners. He has recorded 15 CDs on the Calliope label and performs as a soloist and in duo recitals with his daughter Aleksandra. 

AVIRAM REICHERT  The Cliburn’s first Israeli medalist has an active career as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, particularly in Asia, the United States, and Israel, where he is a frequent guest of the Israel Philharmonic and Jerusalem Symphony. He is professor of piano at Seoul National University. 

FILIPPO GAMBA  The Italian finalist went on to enjoy an active performing and recording career in Europe. He also is a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel. 

JAN JIRACEK  In 2011, Mr. Jiracek became artistic director of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna. He has been professor of piano at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien since 2001.

KATIA SKANAVI  Recent highlights of Ms. Skanavi’s busy career have been recitals and orchestral engagements in Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Moscow, and Paris. She was invited by Maestro Valery Gergiev to participate in the Prokofiev anniversary celebration in 2016. Her next CD will be released in 2017 with sonatas by Beethoven, Schumann, and Prokofiev.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Marius Constant (France)
Dean Elder (United States)
Claude Frank (United States)
Ian Hobson (Great Britain)
Warren Jones (United States)
Jerome Lowenthal (United States)
Hiroko Nakamura (Japan)
Lev Naumov (Russia)
Cécile Ousset (France)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Piero Rattalino (Italy)
Dubravka Tomsic (Slovenia)
Alexis Weissenberg (Switzerland)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: James Conlon
Chamber Music: Tokyo String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra
Commissioned Work: William Bolcom, Nine Bagatelles
Master of ceremonies: James Conlon
Official Artwork:Sean Scully, 10.6.93
Documentary: The Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Playing with Fire, directed by Catherine Tatge

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

 

1993 Cliburn Competition

NINTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 22–JUNE 6, 1993
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Valery Kuleshov (gold watch)
Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performances of Chamber Music: Richard Raymond and Simone Pedroni ($1,000 each)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the United States: Christopher Taylor ($1,000)
Jury Discretionary Scholarship Award: Andrew Armstrong ($4,000)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

SIMONE PEDRONI  After winning the gold medal, the Italian went on to a busy performing and recording career. A champion of film music in the concert hall, he made his conducting debut in 2015 leading John Williams’ music for Star Wars in a series of sold-out performances in Italy. He will soon release a recording of his own Williams piano transcriptions. 

VALERY KULESHOV  The Russian silver medalist has served as artist-in-residence at the University of Central Oklahoma’s College of Fine Arts and Design since 1998. 

CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR  The American bronze medalist has earned a reputation for his advocacy of music from the past 100 years—Messiaen, Ligeti, and Bolcom—and for his performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on a double-manual Steinway. He has actively promoted the rediscovery and refurbishment of that instrument, and over the past five years has also been building a modernized version of it.

JOHAN SCHMIDT  Mr. Schmidt maintains a busy schedule performing with Belgium’s leading orchestras and others, teaching at the Royal Brussels Conservatory, and giving master classes. 

ARMEN BABAKHANIAN  The Armenian finalist has directed the Yerevan International Piano Competition and the Armenian Legacy International Piano Competition in Yerevan. In 2011, he was named dean of the piano department at Yerevan State University. 

FABIO BIDINI  A Steinway artist, Mr. Bidini has recorded 13 CDs. He continues to tour Europe and North America as a soloist and recitalist, and is the new pianist of Trio Solisti. In 2015, he became the first occupant of the Carol Grigor Piano Chair at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, and he is professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.

JURY

John Giordano, Chairman (United States)
Joaquín Achúcarro (Spain)
Philippe Entremont (France)
Claude Frank (United States)
Nelson Freire (Brazil)
Edward Gordon (United States)
Moura Lympany (England)
Lev Naumov (Russia)
Cécile Ousset (France)
John F. Pfeiffer (United States)
Menahem Pressler (United States)
Abbey Simon (United States)
Takahiro Sonoda (Japan)
Ralph Votapek (United States)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Jerzy Semkow
Chamber Music: American String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Morton Gould, Ghost Waltzes
Master of ceremonies: Paul Harvey
Official Artwork: Ivan Chermayeff
Documentary: The Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: A Life in Music, directed by Peter Rosen

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

 

1989 Cliburn Competition

EIGHTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 27–JUNE 11, 1989
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Benedetto Lupo (gold watch)
Steven de Groote Memorial Award for Best Performance of Chamber Music: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, José Carlos Cocarelli, Kevin Kenner, Alexander Shtarkman ($1,000 each)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the United States: Kevin Kenner ($1,000)
Jury Discretionary Awards: Pedro Burmester, Kevin Kenner, Wolfgang Manz, Andrew Wilde ($1,000 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

ALEXEI SULTANOV  After winning the gold medal at age 19, the Soviet-born pianist performed on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. He made recordings for Teldec and Arts Core and appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and La Scala, and with the Pittsburgh, Royal Concertgebouw, Royal Philharmonic, Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta orchestras. His brilliant career was cut short by a series of strokes, and he passed away in 2005 in Fort Worth. 

JOSÉ CARLOS COCARELLI  The Brazilian silver medalist retired from the concert stage and became a Buddhist monk in France. He teaches piano at a community music school in Fresnay-sur-Sarthe.

BENEDETTO LUPO  Increasingly popular as a guest artist, the bronze medalist has performed with many of the world’s best orchestras and has recorded Schumann’s complete works for piano and orchestra, including the first CD recording of the piano version of Konzertstück, op. 86. Since 2013, he has served as the piano master-course professor at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in his native Italy.

ALEXANDER SHTARKMAN  This Russian pianist followed his success as a Cliburn finalist with a first-prize win at the Busoni Competition in 1995. In addition to his active concert schedule in Asia, Europe, Russia, and North and South Americas, Mr. Shtarkman has taught at the Peabody Conservatory of Music since 2002. 

TIAN YING  The Chinese finalist is associate professor at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. 

ELISSO BOLKVADZE  A star in her native Georgia, Ms. Bolkavadze released an album of Prokofiev and Schubert in 2015. A human rights activist, she gave a charity concert in collaboration with the Embassy of Georgia in Geneva, and appeared with the United Nations Orchestra to support Georgian children affected by war. In 2013, she founded the Batumi International Music Festival on the shores of the Black Sea, and she was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2015.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Sergei Dorensky (USSR)
Jan Ekier (Poland)
Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer (France)
John Lill (United Kingdom)
Li Ming Qiang (China)
Cristina Ortiz (Brazil)
John F. Pfeiffer (United States)
Lawrence Leighton Smith (United States)
György Sándor (United States)
Abbey Simon (United States)
Maxim Shostakovich (United States)
Takahiro Sonoda (Japan)
Joaquin Soriano (Spain)
Ralph Votapek (United States)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Stanisław Skrowaczewski
Chamber Music: Tokyo String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra
Commissioned Work: William Schuman, Chester: Variations for Piano
Master of ceremonies: Dudley Moore
Official Artwork: Robert Rauschenberg
Documentary: The Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Here to Make Music, directed by Peter Rosen

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1985 Cliburn Competition

SEVENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 18–JUNE 2, 1985
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Barry Douglas (gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: José Feghali and Kathryn Selby ($1,000 each)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the United States: Hung-Kuan Chen ($1,000)
Jury Discretionary Scholarship Award: Andrew Wilde ($2,500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

JOSÉ FEGHALI  The British-trained Brazilian pianist went on to have a notable performing and recording career after his gold-medal win. He was artist-in-residence at Texas Christian University, where he also was recognized for his work with Internet2, video conferencing, sound/audio engineering, and streaming technology. He passed away in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2014.

PHILIPPE BIANCONI  The French-born silver medalist performs extensively in Europe and North America as recitalist and concerto soloist. He recently released a Chopin recording, which joins his acclaimed discography of Debussy, Schumann, Schubert, and the complete solo works of Ravel.

BARRY DOUGLAS  After winning the third prize, the Irish pianist became the first non-Russian since Van Cliburn to win gold at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In addition to maintaining a busy schedule as a concert pianist, Mr. Douglas founded and directs the Camerata Ireland chamber orchestra. He also is engaged in a project for Chandos to record the major solo piano music of Brahms and Schubert; the sixth and final Brahms volume was released in 2016.

EMMA TAHMIZIÁN  The Bulgarian finalist is notable as a champion of new music who premiered Sebastian Currier’s Piano Concerto in 2007. She is a founding member of the MOSAIC quartet and maintains a longstanding association with the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine.

KÁROLY MOCSÁRI  Mr. Moscári continues to perform and teach in his native Hungary and throughout Europe. He has served on the juries for Liszt competitions in Budapest, Utrecht, and Weimar.

HANS-CHRISTIAN WILLE  The German finalist has made a number of well-regarded recordings and continues to concertize. In 1988, he founded the event that grew into the Braunschweig Classix Festival, one of the biggest festivals in Europe. In 2015, he became a professor at the Academy of Music at the Suzhou University of Science and Technology in China.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Idil Biret (Turkey)
Jorge Bolet (United States)
Anton Dikov (Bulgaria)
Malcolm Frager (United States)
Arpad Joo (Hungary/United States)
Lili Kraus (New Zealand)
Li Ming Qiang (China)
Minoru Nojima (Japan)
Cécile Ousset (France)
Harold C. Schonberg (United States)
Soulima Stravinsky (United States)
Wolfgang Stresemann (West Germany/United States)

ADDITITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Stanisław Skrowaczewski
Chamber Music: Tokyo String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra
Commissioned Work: John Corigliano, Fantasia on an Ostinato
Master of Ceremonies: F. Murray Abraham
Documentary: The Seventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, directed by Bill Fertik

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1981 Cliburn Competition

SIXTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
MAY 17–31, 1981
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Santiago Rodriguez (gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: André-Michel Schub ($1,000)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the Americas: André-Michel Schub ($1,000)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the United States: André-Michel Schub ($1,000)
Jury Discretionary Scholarship Award: Kathryn Selby and Barry Douglas ($1,000 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

ANDRÉ-MICHEL SCHUB  The gold medalist has performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras and currently tours as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He also is music director of the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Music Series and has been on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music since 2006.

PANAYIS LYRAS  Mr. Lyras, who shared the silver medal, succeeded 1962 gold medalist Ralph Votapek as artist in residence at Michigan State University, where he is also professor of piano.

SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ  The co-winner of the second prize is considered a leading interpreter of Rachmaninoff and is currently recording The Rachmaninoff Edition, the complete catalog of the composer’s solo piano works. He maintains an active performing career and has been featured many times on the ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, BBC, and CBC television networks.

JEFFREY KAHANE  The fourth-prize winner has maintained a high profile as conductor and soloist. He just completed his 20th and final season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Sample recent engagements include Oregon Bach Festival, the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony, and New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

CHRISTOPHER O’RILEY  From his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake, to performances of the classical canon, American Christopher O’Riley has stretched the piano beyond conventional boundaries. As host of the popular radio and television show From the Top, this Cliburn finalist also nurtures the next generation of talent.

DAMING ZHU  Mr. Zhu serves on the piano faculty of Soochow University in Taiwan, where his students have won prizes at renowned international piano competitions. He continues to perform and teach in his native China, helping to build an artistic bridge between the two long-estranged nations. His recording of the complete Chopin Preludes will be released soon.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Luiz de Moura Castro, assistant to the chairman (Brazil)
Marcello Abbado (Italy)
Maurice Abravanel (United States)
Abram Chasins (United States)
Valentin Gheorghiu (Rumania)
Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer (France)
Lili Kraus (New Zealand)
Minoru Nojima (Japan)
Leonard Pennario (United States)
Vlado Perlemuter (France)
Lucio San Pedro (Philippines)
Earl Wild (United States)
Zhou Guangren (China)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Leon Fleisher
Chamber Music: Tokyo String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Texas Little Symphony
Commissioned Work: Leonard Bernstein, Touches
Master of Ceremonies: André Watts
Documentary: The Sixth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, directed by Robert Elfstrom

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1977 Cliburn Competition

FIFTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
SEPTEMBER 11–25, 1977
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY • TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Steven De Groote ($500 gold watch)
Best Performances of Chamber Music: Michel Dalberto, Steven De Groote, Alexander Toradze ($600 each)
Highest Ranking Pianist from the Americas: Jeffrey Swann ($500)
Jury Discretionary Scholarship Award: José Carlos Cocarelli, Abdel-Rahman El-Bacha, Yevgeny Krushevsky, Eliane Rodrigues, Marioara Trifan, Eugene Rowley ($500 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

STEVEN DE GROOTE  After winning the first prize, the South African pianist went on to perform in top venues and with the world’s foremost orchestras. His career suffered a setback when he was seriously injured in a plane crash in 1985, after which he settled in Fort Worth as artist-in-residence at TCU. He passed away in South Africa in 1989.

ALEXANDER TORADZE  While continuing a busy international performing career, the silver medalist became the Martin Endowed Professor of Piano at Indiana University in 1991, and founded the highly regarded Toradze Touring Studio. Mr. Toradze continues to perform and record with leading orchestras worldwide, and serves on the jury of the 2017 Cliburn Competition.

JEFFREY SWANN  The American bronze medalist is well established as a lecturer-recitalist. He currently is professor of piano at New York University, artist-in-residence at Northern Arizona University, and artistic director of the Dino Ciani Festival and Academy in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

CHRISTIAN BLACKSHAW  The British pianist recently completed a sold-out recital tour in China. His complete Mozart sonata series at Wigmore Hall in 2013 was recorded and released in four acclaimed volumes—the fourth was named one of the best classical recordings of 2015 by The New York Times.

MICHEL DALBERTO  A noted recitalist and chamber musician known for his collaborations with artists including Jessye Norman and Barbara Hendricks, Mr. Dalberto served for many years as chairman of the jury of the Clara Haskil competition, and is a professor at the Paris Conservatory.

IAN HOBSON  Mr. Hobson, who teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has made more than 60 recordings in the course of a busy performing career, including the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven and Schumann. He is now recording a complete edition (the most comprehensive to date) of the piano works of Chopin.

ALEXANDER MNDOYANTS  The Russian finalist has a reputation as a dedicated pedagogue, and teaches at the Moscow Conservatory and State Classical University. He regularly conducts master classes in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as in Brazil, Finland, France, Israel, Japan, Portugal, and Taiwan.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Luiz De Moura Castro, assistant to the chairman (Brazil)
Guido Agosti (Italy)
James Dick (United States)
Rudolf Firkušný (United States))
Leon Fleisher (United States)
Alberto Ginastera (Argentina)
Lucrecia R. Kasilag (Philippines)
Lili Kraus (New Zealand)
Nikita Magaloff (Switzerland)
John Ogdon (United Kingdom)
Leonard Pennario (United States)
Nikolai Petrov (USSR)
Pierre Sancan (France)
José Serebrier (Uruguay)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: John Giordano
Chamber Music: Tokyo String Quartet
Orchestras: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Texas Little Symphony
Commissioned Work: Samuel Barber, Ballade
Documentary: Contest to Carnegie Hall: The 1977 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, directed by Mitchell Johnson

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1973 Cliburn Competition

FOURTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
SEPTEMBER 17–30, 1973
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY • TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
John Giordano, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Vladimir Viardo ($500 gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: Christian Zacharias ($600)
Rachmaninoff Étude Tableau Award: Alberto Reyes and Vladimir Viardo ($300 each)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the Americas: Alberto Reyes ($500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

VLADIMIR VIARDO  Soon after winning gold at the Cliburn, Mr. Viardo was detained behind the Iron Curtain for 14 years. When he was finally permitted to travel to the West in the late 1980s, his career flourished with performances at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, and the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, and through collaborations with leading orchestras and conductors of the day. He has taught piano at the University of North Texas since 1989. 

CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS  The silver medalist, one of the top German pianists of the past few decades, began conducting in 1992 and is a long-term artistic partner of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. During his long tenure as principal conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, his recordings with the orchestra won widespread acclaim, notably the complete Mozart piano concertos. He also often conducts opera.

MICHAEL HOUSTOUN  The third-prize winner is a central music figure in New Zealand, and also performs frequently in Australia and Asia. As part of his wide-ranging repertoire, he regularly champions New Zealand composers in his programming.

ALBERTO REYES  After a successful beginning as a concert pianist (he made his U.S. orchestral debut under the baton of Aaron Copland), this Uruguayan pianist changed careers and became a United Nations interpreter, working for the Security Council and General Assembly in New York and having a front-row seat for the major international debates of our time. He retired after three decades, returned to performing, and has recorded CDs of music by Chopin and Schumann.

EVGENI KOROLIOV  The Russian pianist continues an active performing and recording career, with engagements in recent years including Mozart under Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg and Bach’s The Art of the Fugue with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

KRASSIMIR GATEV  The sixth-place winner recorded nine albums and performed across Europe and the United States. He was professor of piano at the National Academy of Music in his native Bulgaria until his death in 2008.

JURY

John Giordano, chairman (United States)
Abram Chasins (United States)
James Dick (United States)
Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer (France)
John Hopkins (Australia)
Constance Keene (United States)
Lili Kraus (New Zealand)
Fernando Laires (Portugal)
Evgenii Malinin (USSR)
Leonard Pennario (United States)
Vlado Perlemuter (France)
Walter Susskind (United States)
Luis C. Valencia (Philippines)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Walter Susskind
Chamber Music: Eudice Shapiro (Violin) and Laszlo Varga (Cello)
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Aaron Copland, Night Thoughts

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1969 Cliburn Competition

THIRD VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 12, 1969
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY •  TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER THEATRE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
Ezra Rachlin, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Minoru Nojima ($500 gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: Diane Walsh ($600)
Best Performance of Schumann: Cristina Ortiz (Annunciata Beall Gold Memorial Medal)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the Americas: Cristina Ortiz ($500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

CRISTINA ORTIZ  Now based in London, the first woman to win Cliburn gold has performed extensively with major orchestras and given master classes worldwide. Her 30 albums cover a wide-ranging repertoire and include, most recently, a Naxos release of solo piano works by York Bowen.

MINORU NOJIMA  One of Japan’s most respected pianists, Mr. Nojima made his Carnegie Hall debut the year after winning silver at the Cliburn and went on to a busy performing career. He was president of the Toyko School of Music and served as a juror for the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Minoru passed away in 2022 at the age of 76.

MARK WESTCOTT  The third-prize winner went on to win the 1972 William Kapell Competition and maintained an active touring schedule until a hand injury halted his career. He is the author of Playing With Love, a reflection on his career and decade-long battle with cancer, and taught piano in Portland, Oregon. Mark passed away in April 2024.

GERALD ROBBINS  Mr. Robbins has distinguished himself in chamber music and is artist-in-residence with the Lyric Piano Quartet at Queens College, CUNY, and a member of the chamber music faculty at the Manhattan School of Music. His pursuits also include conducting and exploring neglected 19th-century repertoire.

DIANE WALSH  Ms. Walsh, a Steinway Artist, won acclaim on Broadway in 2009 for giving 113 performances of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations in her integral role in Moises Kaufman’s play 33 Variations, which starred Jane Fonda. Ms. Walsh has made 18 recordings, most recently of Bach suites, and frequently performs as a soloist and a chamber musician.

MICHIKO FUJINUMA  The sixth-place winner became a professor at Toho Gakuen University School of Music. She frequently conducts master classes and is often invited to serve on the juries of piano competitions.

JURY

Ezra Rachlin, chairman (United States)
Abram Chasins (United States)
Leon Fleisher (United States)
Peter Frankl (Hungary)
Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer (France)
Bruce Hungerford (Australia)
Motonari Iguchi (Japan)
Mindru Katz (Israel)
Constance Keene (United States)
Lili Kraus (United Kingdom)
Leonard Pennario (USA)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Ezra Rachlin
Chamber Music: Eudice Shapiro (Violin) and Laszlo Varga (Cello)
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Norman Dello Joio, Capriccio on the Interval of a Second

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1966 Cliburn Competition

SECOND VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
SEPTEMBER 26–OCTOBER 9, 1966
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY • WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
Howard Hanson, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Radu Lupu ($500 gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: Barry Snyder ($600)
19th Century Music Award: Blanca Uribe ($300)
Best Performance of Copland Sonata Award: Radu Lupu (Annunciata Beall Gold Memorial Medal)
Highest Ranking Pianist of the Americas: Barry Lee Snyder ($500)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

RADU LUPU  The 1966 gold medalist was firmly established as one of the most important musicians of his generation. He performed regularly at the world’s most prestigious venues and with the foremost orchestras. At the end of the 2018–2019 concert season, Mr. Lupu retired from the concert stage at the age of 73. He has more than 20 recordings to his credit, including a Grammy® Award-winning disc of Schubert sonatas. Mr. Lupu passed away in April 2022.

BARRY SNYDER  The second-prize winner remains busy as a performer and teacher. He has appeared with many leading orchestras under conductors including Leopold Stokowski, David Zinman, and Arthur Fiedler. He joined the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in 1970, where he was a founding member of the Eastman Trio, with which he performed for many years. His commitment to new music has resulted in a number of works written just for him. Mr. Snyder has made more than 50 recordings.

BLANCA URIBE  The bronze medalist performs frequently in Europe, South America, and the United States. Her notable achievements include recordings of the complete Iberia suite of Isaac Albéniz, and performances of all 32 Beethoven sonatas in South America and at Vassar College. She has served on many competition juries, including at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

MARIA LUISA LOPEZ-VITO  Ms. Lopez-Vito retired from live performance in 2002. She devoted her career to championing the piano music of Theodor Adorno and to teaching piano to disadvantaged children in her native Philippines.

RUDOLF BUCHBINDER  Mr. Buchbinder is renowned as a leading interpreter of the Viennese classical repertoire. His discography includes more than 100 recordings, including the complete concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart. Highlights of this season including tours with the Vienna Philharmonic and a Carnegie Hall appearance. Mr. Buchbinder has performed the entire cycle of Beethoven sonatas more than 50 times, including in Berlin, Beijing, and St. Petersburg, and four times each in Vienna and Munich.

BENEDIKT KÖHLEN  The German finalist went on to win third prize at the Busoni competition and make a number of recordings.

JURY

Howard Hanson, chairman (United States)
Joseph Benvenuti (France)
Reimar Dahlgrun (West Germany)
Guillermo Espinosa (Colombia)
József Gát (Hungary)
Valentin Gheorghiu (Romania)
Árni Kristjánsson (Iceland)
Lili Kraus (New Zealand)
Alicia de Larrocha (Spain)
Jean Mahaim (Belgium)
Gerald Moore (United Kingdom)
Boyd Neel (Canada)
Ezra Rachlin, Local Chairman (United States)
Claudette Sorel (United States)
Margerita Trombini-Kazuro (Poland)
Beveridge Webster (United States)
Friedrich Wuhrer (Austria)    

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Ezra Rachlin
String Quartet: Curtis String Quartet, the New School of Music
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Willard Straight, Structure for Piano

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK

1962 Cliburn Competition

FIRST VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 7, 1962
ED LANDRETH AUDITORIUM AT TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA
Leopold Mannes, jury chairman

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Best Performance of Commissioned Work: Arthur C. Fennimore ($500 gold watch)
Best Performance of Chamber Music: Ralph Votapek and Hiroko Nakamura ($300 each)

WINNERS’ UPDATES

RALPH VOTAPEK The Cliburn’s first gold medalist continues to enjoy a robust concert and recording career 60 years after win. He recently finished his 27th tour of Argentina, ending at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and released his ninth recording for the Blue Griffin label. He previously has made hundreds of appearances with major American orchestras and is now professor emeritus at Michigan State University. 

NIKOLAI PETROV The 1962 silver medalist went on to win silver at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and maintained an active performance career in across North and South America, Europe, and Russia, in addition to teaching at the Moscow Conservatory. He passed away in Moscow in 2011.

MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKY The bronze medal winner is professor and chair of the piano faculty at the Moscow Conservatory; his students have won over 100 international competition prizes. With a career that spanned Australia, Europe, Asia, and North and South Americas, he has released over 50 recordings, including, most recently, box sets of the complete Mozart sonatas and concertos.

CÉCILE OUSSET The French pianist, who was particularly known for her collaborations with conductors Kurt Masur and Simon Rattle, retired from a very active performance and recording career in 2006. She has continued to be in-demand as a teacher, giving masterclasses around the world, and serving as a juror for major competitions. In 2011, she was made Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite. She served on the Cliburn jury in 1993 and 1997.

MARILYN NEELEY The American pianist’s busy performance career is highlighted with an Emmy Award in 1970 with her husband, Robert Gerle, for their performances of Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano. She went on to serve as dean of the Catholic University of American in Washington, D.C. Ms. Neeley passed away in 2007 at age 69.

SERGIO VARELLA-CID The sixth-prize winner was based out of London for most of his early career, performing throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. He moved to Brazil in the late 1970s, where he lived the remainder of his life.

JURY

Leopold Mannes, chairman (United States)
Yara Bernette (Brazil)
Jorge Bolet (United States)
Angelo Eagon (United States)
Rudolph Ganz (United States)
Don Luis Herrera de la Fuente (Mexico)
Motonari Iguchi (Japan)
Milton Katims (United States)
Lili Kraus (United Kingdom)
Lev Oborin (Russia)
Leonard Pennario (United States)
Serge Saxe, local chairman (United States)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Conductor: Milton Katims
String Quartet: University String Quartet-in-Residence, Southern Methodist University
Orchestra: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned Work: Lee Hoiby, Capriccio on Five Notes

COMPETITION PROGRAM BOOK