Themes and Artists Announced for 2026 Cliburn Festival

The 2026 Cliburn Festival: America 250 will take place March 26–29, 2026, at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The 2026 Cliburn Festival explores the ways music reflects the American experience over the last 250 years, bringing together a group of artists to present music written in, inspired by, and reflective of the United States of America.

Cliburn Festival artists will come together to explore the expanding canon of American music, in a diverse program of solo, chamber, and vocal works in five concerts over four days. The Festival features pianists Peter Dugan (Host of NPR's From the Top), Avery Gagliano (2020 National Chopin Competition first-prize winner), and Jonathan Mamora (2025 Cliburn competitor).The artists-in-residence will be joined by mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan and an ensemble of string musicians to showcase the versatility and variety of American music.

Single tickets and subscription packages for the 2026 Cliburn Festival are on sale now. Single tickets start at $22. Five-concert subscription packages start at $80. Tickets can be purchased at Cliburn.org or by calling the box office at 817.212.4280.
 

The 2026 Cliburn Festival presenting sponsor is Amegy Bank.

2026 CLIBURN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

*Programs are subject to change.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26  I  7:30 PM
AMERICAN ROOTS
Works Inspired by American folk music and communities

BARBER Selections from Souvenirs for piano, four hands, op. 28     
PRICE Adoration                                  
PRICE "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from Folksongs in Counterpoint
Selected American songs
RZEWSKI Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, op. 96 ("American")         

FRIDAY, MARCH 27  I  7:30 PM
AMERICAN JAZZ
America’s greatest musical export

GERSHWIN/HEIFETZ Three Preludes
SCHNEIDER Selections from Winter Morning Walk
RAVEL Violin Sonata No. 2 
SCHOENFELD Café Music (I)
Selected Jazz Standards

SATURDAY, MARCH 28  I  2:00 PM
AMERICAN MOSAIC
Music of cultural exchange and influence

BOULANGER Three Pieces for Cello and Piano                                          
BEACH Chanson d’amour
RAVEL Selections from Chansons Madecasses 
ESMAIL Piano Trio (III, IV)                                                
COPLAND/BERNSTEIN El Salón México 
KORNGOLD Selected works for violin and piano
DUGAN Rach on (on Rachmaninov's Prelude in C-sharp Minor, op. 3, no. 2)
COLEMAN Fanmi Imen        
FOSS Capriccio for cello and piano

SATURDAY, MARCH 28  I  7:30 PM
AMERICAN ROMANTICS 
Music of American individualism and love of nature

MACDOWELL Selections from Woodland Sketches
LOEFFLER Selected songs 
BARBER Nocturne, op. 33
COLEMAN Music in Timelapse
BEACH Piano Quintet in F-sharp Minor, op. 67

SUNDAY, MARCH 29  I  2:00 PM
AMERICAN CLASSICS
Iconic Classical Works

LIEBERMANN Gargoyles
BARBER String Quartet in B Minor, op. 11 (II, III)                                     
Selected American songs
STILL Suite for Violin and Piano
BERNSTEIN West Side Story

Pianists-in-residence

ABOUT PETER DUGAN
Host of NPR's From the Top

Peter Dugan prizes versatility as the hallmark of today’s musician and advocates for a classical music culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all. That approach has manifested in a multifaceted and dynamic career as a pianist, composer, collaborator, and radio host. A musician equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, Peter has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and around the world—his performance of the Ives Fourth Symphony with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic.” He is heard on radios nationwide weekly as host of NPR’s From the Top; is an active and passionate collaborator who has toured extensively with violinists Joshua Bell and Charles Yang, and vocalists John Brancy and Kara Dugan (his wife); and is a composer who has performed his own works everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Joe’s Pub and had his arrangements released by Disney+.

Learn more about Peter.

ABOUT AVERY GAGLIANO
2020 National Chopin Competition first-prize winner

Celebrated as “a distinctive young talent” (International Piano), pianist Avery Gagliano is recognized for interpretations with great emotional depth and a “distinctly narrative approach” (Miami International Piano Festival). Having first risen to international acclaim as the winner of the first prize and best concerto prize at the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition, she has established herself as an artist to watch and has performed in prominent venues including Carnegie Hall, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Salle Cortot, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Ehrbar Saal in Vienna, and La Grange au Lac in Évian.

Avery is a graduate of Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Robert McDonald, Gary Graffman, and Jonathan Biss. She currently resides in Germany and studies with Sir András Schiff at Kronberg Academy.

Avery was also the recipient of the Audience Award at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival.

Learn more about Avery.

ABOUT JONTHAN MAMORA
2025 Cliburn Competitor

Acclaimed for his “most assured pianism,” and “natural, songful lyricism” (Dallas Morning News), pianist Jonathan Mamora strives to uplift and positively influence others using music as a means for service.

Jonathan is the first-prize winner of a number of international piano competitions, most recently the 2025 Hilton Head, 2023 Scottish, 2023 Maria Canals Barcelona, and 2022 Olga Kern. He has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, with highlights including a 2023 debut at Carnegie Hall and engagements with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and New Mexico Philharmonic. He currently serves as Director of Keyboard Studies at La Sierra University. A graduate of La Sierra University and The Juilliard School, he is finishing his doctorate at Eastman School of Music.

Learn more about Jonathan.