September 15, 2020

The Cliburn launches its expanded, robust online music education program for elementary-school students: Cliburn Kids. Created as a resource for school districts, teachers, and parents, the initiative includes 27 lesson plans to date, each with a 7- to 10-minute video, and corresponding individual and class activities that meet objectives of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The Cliburn will release new episodes and lesson plans every Tuesday of the 2020–2021 school year, beginning today, for a total of more than 50 by May 2021.

All lesson plans and videos are housed at the Cliburn Kids website at Cliburn.org/kids, where parents, teachers, and students can easily find resources by musical learning category and activity subject areas.

Last spring, we created our Cliburn Kids series as a response to the global pandemic, when children around the world had to adjust quickly to being at home,” said Jacques Marquis, Cliburn President and CEO. “Music education is integral to the Cliburn’s mission. Normally, we would be producing 300 in-school Cliburn in the Classroom programs in the North Texas area this year, which is not possible right now. With Cliburn Kids, we’re able to provide an extensive resource to educators and students everywhere, regardless of their current learning environment. We think this initiative has great growth potential and are excited to continue to add to its depth and reach this school year.

ABOUT CLIBURN KIDS

For our youngest Cliburn friends! Cliburn Kids is a (growing!) collection of wonderfully entertaining videos designed to introduce children to the fun of classical music. How does music paint pictures, tell stories, express feelings? How can music help teach about other school subjects? Host Buddy Bray and guest artists use individual pieces to explore topics that delve into the way music is organized and structured, counting and rhythm, expressive elements, and sometimes just lighthearted enjoyment!

Programs are geared towards elementary-aged children, and activities are provided for each episode that are perfect for in-classroom or at-home studies. Twenty-seven episodes are currently available, and a new episode will be added weekly on Tuesdays. Each episode page has links to the supplemental activities, as well as TEKS objectives for each.

Cliburn Kids programs are based on Cliburn in the Classroom curriculum, written by Dr. John Feierabend and Buddy Bray.

ABOUT BUDDY BRAY

Shields-Collins “Buddy” Bray is co-author of the Cliburn in the Classroom programs and has been hosting the presentations in schools for over 15 years, and he says it is the most enjoyable work he does. He is the host of the Cliburn Kids series and plays an integral part in its development.

When he is not in the schools talking about music, Mr. Bray serves as artistic director of the Cliburn at the Modern series and is the principal keyboardist for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Bray also hosts the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s pre-concert discussion series, where he does much the same thing as in the schools—he tries to make his audience comfortable with the music they will hear, and he does it with a spirit of discovery and fun.

Mr. Bray comes from a family of teachers, and he is glad to be carrying on the family tradition.

May 26, 2020

Dear friends of the Cliburn,

In light of the global pandemic and its implications on the performing arts industry, the Cliburn today announces modified plans for the upcoming months, including new pop-up concerts; summer and fall seasons for its digital Cliburn at Home initiative; and a delayed start to its traditional Cliburn Concerts season, now in January 2021.

We’ve been closely monitoring developments in our industry—both in Fort Worth and internationally—as we look forward to the fall and beyond. While we must make decisions now regarding some of our programming, we intend to continue to be flexible and responsible, to best serve our communities. All current and future determinations are based on the following considerations:

• The health and security of our constituents—the artists, staff, patrons, volunteers, and all others;
• Social distancing guidelines and how those would affect the concert environment;
• And the availability and safety of international travel, which is paramount to the success of most of our programs—as we showcase the premier talent in the world.

As such, the Cliburn today announces the following:

POP-UP SOCIALLY DISTANCED CONCERTS
The Cliburn is exploring options for a few small live concert experiences this fall at alternative venues that lend themselves to safe, social distancing—to feature regionally based artists. Information will be announced in the weeks prior to each event.

CLIBURN AT HOME – SUMMER AND FALL SEASONS
A Cliburn at Home summer season of the Cliburn Watch Party and Cliburn Kids series will begin on June 15, and plans are taking shape for new offerings for the fall as well. All details to be announced in the coming weeks, and all previously premiered videos can be found at Cliburn.org/Cliburn-at-home.

The Cliburn at Home initiative launched March 30 and will conclude its current spring season on this Saturday, May 30. The three new programs—Cliburn Watch Party, Cliburn Kids, and Cliburn Amateur Spotlight—have amassed 3 million impressions online, with more than 1 million minutes of music watched across 100 countries to date.

2020–2021 CLIBURN CONCERTS DELAYED TO JANUARY 2021
The traditional concert series features recitals from the world’s top classical performing artists at the Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Scat Jazz Lounge, and Bass Performance Hall. The season would have normally opened in October 2020; the Cliburn currently plans to host a shortened season, beginning in January 2021. The announcement of the spring concerts, as well as the ticket-on-sale date, will occur in fall 2020, contingent on conditions at that time.

The Cliburn appreciates the support of its global community during this time and continues to join our classical music colleagues in offering videos online to provide a respite for a world in quarantine. We encourage all to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES FOR THE
2021 CLIBURN COMPETITION ARE ON SALE NOW

May 1, 2020—We are sending our thoughts to you during this time, and we are planning to be with you next year to celebrate the talent of extraordinary pianists, as a community. Today, we announce that premium Platinum and Golden Circle subscriptions are on sale now. We invite you to reserve your seats, as we all look forward to brighter days.

You are invited to reserver the best seats in the house today!
Additional subscription options, as well as single ticket purchases, will be available in September 2020.

CLICK HERE for full information or to purchase your package now.

Music is providing an invaluable respite to a world in quarantine. On March 30, we join our classical music community worldwide in providing new opportunities to connect through the artform we love, in a safe and joyful space for us all, no matter age, culture, or physical location.

We’re announcing three new online initiatives to bring our international family together virtually. You can reconnect with great Cliburn Competition performances, learn with your children by listening to Cliburn Kids, and be inspired by the passion of our Cliburn Amateur pianists.

We hope to get to be with you all in person again soon. In the meantime, we relish this chance for fellowship online.

The daily schedule begins  Monday, March 30. Weekly schedules will be announced each Sunday.

COMPLETE INFORMATION AT CLIBURN.ORG/CLIBURN-AT-HOME

In light of the continued spread of COVID-19 around the United States, and in consideration of current guidance from health officials, the Cliburn has made the decision to cancel or postpone all events scheduled through May 30, 2020. As such, we will be working to reschedule the 2020 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the Classically Cliburn Gala; this season’s remaining Cliburn Concerts, Cliburn in the Classroom programs, and Cliburn in the Community events are canceled. We are saddened by this development and understand the disappointment it causes for our Cliburn Family around the globe, from our loyal patrons to the outstanding participants of the Amateur Competition. Details for each event are outlined below, and the Cliburn staff will be available at 817.738.6536 and [email protected].

Beatrice Rana was just 20 when she took home silver at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, on the heels of her first-prize victory at the Montreal Competition two years prior. Since then, Bea (now 26) has taken the international music world by storm, winning admiration and praise from conductors, concert presenters, audiences, and critics alike. She’s played a good portion of the world’s major concert halls (such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center); she’s been featured on the cover of more than 10 magazines; and she’s received rave reviews and a slew of awards, including The New York Times’ “Best Classical Music of 2019” list, Gramophone’s 2017 “Young Artist of the Year,” and BBC 2015 “New Generation Artist.” And she signed an exclusive recording deal with Warner Classics, having now released four critically acclaimed albums in four years, including a new Ravel Stravinsky disc that dropped October 25. We caught up with her this December.

CLIBURN: You’ve had such a meteoric rise in the six years since your Cliburn appearance—major concerts, loads of press, and a nice recording contract. What is your secret for balancing the demands of this busy life, while still developing artistically and enjoying it all?

BEATRICE: There is no secret, unfortunately! My strength is the love for what I do: sharing music with people and sharing life with my loved ones. Balancing the two things is not always easy, but I try always my best because they are equally important to me. In this sense, I like to have a busy and challenging schedule, with good combination of old and new repertoire, solo and concertos, and at the same time I save some weeks to be off stage and spend time with family and friends.

CLIBURN: You have had some great mentors along the way. Tell us about those relationships and how they’ve shaped you.

BEATRICE: I owe everything I know to Benedetto Lupo and Arie Vardi. Benedetto Lupo has been my mentor since I was a child, and he taught me the art of music, but also the profession of being pianist: thanks to him, I got a real fascination for colors and sounds, and a real necessity of using a certain sound for a certain result. At 18, I got in the studio of Arie Vardi, and he opened me another world, very wide in a sense, where music, art, literature, and philosophy were all part of one great thing. I feel very lucky to have been mentored by such musicians.

CLIBURN: With all the traveling, concertizing, and amazing collaborators, you must have some great stories from the road. Share one or two with us?

BEATRICE: Last September I played in Paris in the beautiful Theatre des Champs-Elysees with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Yuri Temirkanov. The orchestra and conductor were in the middle of a tour, so they were supposed to arrive in the early afternoon and rehearse with me couple of hours before the concert. As soon as I get on stage for my rehearsal, I see less than half of the orchestra and Maestro Temirkanov on the podium. I ask where the rest of the orchestra was, since the rehearsal was about to start: they told me that the other musicians were on a much delayed plane and didn’t know if they would make it on time. So we rehearsed the Schumann Concerto for a…chamber orchestra size! 🙂 The rest of the orchestra finally arrived 10 minutes before the start of the orchestra, so I got to meet the full orchestra during the concert. Despite everything, it was one of the most beautiful concerts I have ever played.

CLIBURN: Your newest CD just released on October 25. Tell us a little about how that project came together, and what’s up next.

BEATRICE: The last CD is dedicated to two composers that are very dear to my heart: Ravel and Stravinsky. It’s always challenging to decide the repertoire of an album, mainly because the album is like a photographof a precise artistic moment. I have been touring quite a lot in the previous season with Ravel Miroirs and Stravinsky Firebird, so it felt very natural to record them, alongside with La Valse and Petrushka. It’s a portrait of a period of great changes, both on the artistic and on the social level, which brought to the complete collapse caused by the first world war. In a sense, I feel that that kind of feeling of crisis is very present.

CLIBURN: Take us back to 2013. Why did you decide to come to the Cliburn and what was your experience like in Fort Worth?

BEATRICE: My experience at the Cliburn has been completely life changing. I was already very excited to be in Fort Worth and play in such a giant hall for such a venerable jury and audience. But what I understood during the last days of the competition is that that adrenaline that was driving me so much during those days wouldn’t end with the competition: being a laureate of the Cliburn was going to open the doors of so many concert halls for me! At first I was a bit overwhelmed, but step by step I got to find a balance with this new life and started to really enjoy the crazy touring life!

Airing nationally this week, NPR’s From the Top goes behind-the-scenes at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. Hosted by pianist Peter Dugan, this documentary-style episode of From the Top features six of the 23 young pianists (age 13 to 17) chosen to participate in two weeks of high-level competition and intense artistic development at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival in Dallas, Texas. From the Top’s special episode reveals the personal journeys and backstories of these young artists in the midst of this incredible experience, as well as some of their groundbreaking performances.

The Cliburn’s signature education program, Cliburn in the Classroom, goes back to school on Monday, September 16. The program presents the excitement of live piano performances to second-, third-, and fourth-grade students and reinforces the basic elements of music through fun, interactive activities within the context of classical piano repertoire. Cliburn in the Classroom reaches more than 57,000 students through 300 programs in 185 North Texas elementary schools—all Fort Worth ISD elementary schools, plus ten other districts.

In collaboration with TX Whiskey, the Cliburn is proud to announce that the Second Annual Cliburn Cocktail Competition will be held Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at Whiskey Ranch. Local amateur teams will bring their best TX Whiskey concoctions to compete for the super-prestigious Cliburn Cocktail gold medal.

Cliburn in the Classroom presents 2 free public events this summer at Chandor Gardens Mansion in Weatherford, Texas on July 20 and August 10 at 11 AM.  Space is limited for these events, RSVP at the link below.

Announcing the winners of the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition:

First Prize: Shuan Hern Lee, Australia, 16
Second Prize: Eva Gevorgyan, Russia/Armenia, 15
Third Prize: JiWon Yang, South Korea, 17

Alessio Bax, jury chairman of the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, announced the 14 pianists advancing to the Quarterfinal Round. In the Quarterfinal Round, each of the 14 quarterfinalists will play a recital not to exceed 30 minutes in length, to include the first or last movement of a Classical sonata and a lyrical work, the remainder of the program may be chosen by the pianist. A competitor’s program must not repeat any pieces from their Preliminary Round recital.

The Draw Party for the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival is complete and the performance order for the Preliminary Round is set.

The Competition’s Festival events comprise a variety of FREE public programs aimed at sharing this great music and prodigious talent with the community while advancing the artistic knowledge of competitors, festival attendees, and other pianists.

Highlights include big-screen simulcasts in Klyde Warren Park in Dallas and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth of theFinal Round concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ruth Reinhardt on June 8; Community Concerts at Dallas Museum of Art, Klyde Warren Park, Main Street Garden Park, and NorthPark Center; and Masterclasses with Alessio Bax, Anne-Marie McDermott, Gilbert Kalish, Alexander Kobrin, Ruth Reinhardt, and Orion Weiss.

Single tickets are now on sale for the 2019–2020 Cliburn Concerts season, as well as the 2019–2020 Cliburn Sessions season and 2020 Cliburn Festival: Beethoven at 250. Subscriptions—including choose-your-own packages—are also available

Cruise to the Cliburn Junior Finals in style with our Party Bus Ticket Packages. Witness the stunning conclusion to the Junior Competition as the 3 finalists perform full concertos with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ruth Reinhardt at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

2017 Cliburn Jury Discretionary Award winner Leonardo Pierdomenico will perform several free concerts in the Fort Worth area April 29–May 3. These concerts are free and open to the public.

We are thrilled to announce that Marin Alsop will serve as the jury chairman for the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, taking place May 28–June 12, 2021, at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. The American luminary will also conduct the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra with the six finalists in the Competition’s Final Round.

The Cliburn is thrilled to announce the 24 competitors invited to participate in the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, taking place May 31–June 8, 2019, in Dallas, Texas, with the first three rounds at Caruth Auditorium at SMU and the Final Round performance with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ruth Reinhardt at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

The Cliburn invites all outstanding, non-professional pianists age 35 and older to apply for the 2020 Cliburn Amateur Competition.   Applications will be due January 16, 2020. 48 competitors and 24 non-competing participants will be announced March 24, 2020. Ralph Votapek, 1962 Cliburn gold medalist, will serve as jury chairman. 6 Finalists will once again perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and conductor Damon Gupton.

You can now buy your tickets to the Second Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. The Preliminary, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal Rounds will take place at Caruth Auditorium at SMU and the Final Round concert will take place at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ruth Reinhardt.

February 14–17, a stellar group of artists-in-residence leads a 5-concert musical journey through the Golden Age of Paris. Don’t miss featured pianists Joyce Yang, Dasol Kim, and Louis Schwizgebel; and the Rolston String Quartet perform works by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Frank, & More!

Nothing is more special than spending time with family and friends during the Holiday season, and nothing brings people together like music. The Cliburn is offering a great deal so you can share the music you love with the people you love. This special holiday package includes two tickets to three exceptional concerts for $199.

The Cliburn’s newest program, Cliburn Social creates a space where concert meets party. This specially curated classical experience provides members a chance to attend cool performances paired with opportunities to hang out, meet the artists, and make new friends.  Members receive tickets to three Cliburn Concerts events and invitations to four exclusive parties throughout the Cliburn Concerts season.

Tickets for both the Aaron Diehl Trio on October 25, 2018 and Ava Pine + Jonathan Beyer on January 24, 2019 are sold out. You can get on the waiting list for these concerts by emailing [email protected] with your contact info and the number of tickets you are requesting. Tickets are still available for the last Sessions concert of the season on April 18, 2019 featuring cellist Joshua Roman. Cliburn Sessions creates a space where excellent classical artists perform in a very relaxed environment, where they are free to be casual, to blend genres, and to interact with the audience.

The Cliburn invites talented pianists to apply for the Second Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, for pianists age 13 to 17, taking place May 31–June 8, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. Twenty-four pianists, age 13 to 17, will be invited to compete, and, new for the second edition, 14 additional pianists will be accepted as non-competing festival participants and will have the opportunity to take part in master classes, private lessons, workshops, and other elective activities.

Join us April 6 at Ridglea Country Club as we pay tribute to the 60th Anniversary of Van Cliburn’s historic International Tchaikovsky Competition victory in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. A Russian Romance continues the Cliburn gala reputation of bringing together fabulous music and good friends to support the growth of all things Cliburn. It is these outstanding programs, and the tremendous reach of our competitions, that so richly enhance the lives of those in our local community and across the globe. We will also honor immediate past chairman Carla Kemp Thompson, and her husband Kelly, for years of tremendous service and dedication.

The second edition of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival will take place May 31–June 8, 2019, on the campus of SMU Meadows School of the Arts, culminating with three finalists performing full concertos with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center! Alessio Bax will join us as jury chairman. Applications will open March 1, 2018.

Just in time for the holiday season, we’re introducing the Cliburn Sampler! The perfect package for the classically curious, the Cliburn Sampler gives you the chance to try out a little bit of everything the Cliburn has to offer this spring. Choose one concert from three different experiences (Kimbell, Sessions, Festival) for just $75 total.

On February 22–25 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, this celebration on the 60th Anniversary of Van Cliburn’s historic International Tchaikovsky Competition victory will feature three Cliburn laureates—Alexander Korbin (2005 gold medalist), Yury Favorin (2017 finalist), and Georgy Tchaidze (2017 finalists)— and the Rolston String Quartet.

2017 Silver Medalist Kenny Broberg and 2017 Bronze Medalist Daniel Hsu to perform FREE public concerts November 1–3, 2017 at Sundance Square, Fort Worth Central Library, and Texas Wesleyan University.

Single tickets are on sale now for the 2017–2018 Cliburn Concerts season, the 41st year of the Cliburn’s signature annual recital series. Subscriptions—which are, for the first time, entirely choose-your-own packages—are also still available.

Just 13 days after Yekwon Sunwoo was named the gold medalist of the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Decca Gold, Universal Music’s U.S. classical label, has released Cliburn Gold 2017! The digital album features a selection of Yekwon’s live solo performances from the Competition, including Ravel’s La Valse and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2.

DOWNLOAD YOURS TODAY or PRE-ORDER THE CD, which drops August 18.

Read more about Yekwon Sunwoo HERE.

Leonard Slatkin, chairman of the Jury for the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has announced the 20 pianists advancing to the Quarterfinal Round.

The Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition welcomed 30 young pianists from around the world to the Opening Dinner and Draw Party Tuesday evening at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel in downtown Fort Worth.

The competitors, members of the Jury, and host families received warm welcomes from Cliburn staff and patrons, and longtime Cliburn patron Martha Hyder was honored with a tribute delivered by Jury Chairman Emeritus John Giordano. Other speakers included Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis, Chairman of the Board Carla Kemp Thompson, and 2013 Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko.

After dinner, Vadym Kholodenko drew competitor names out of a chalice, Jacques Marquis read out the names, and each pianist came forward to choose his or her position in the order of play.

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE 

Thursday, May 25

2:30 p.m. Julia Kociuban, Poland, 25

3:20 p.m. Madoka Fukami, Japan, 28

4:25 p.m. Su Yeon Kim, South Korea, 23

7:30 p.m.  Leonardo Pierdomenico, Italy, 24

8:20 p.m. Alina Bercu, Romania, 27

9:25 p.m. Ilya Shmukler, Russia, 22

Friday, May 26

10:00 a.m. Dasol Kim, South Korea, 28

10:50 a.m.Tristan Teo, Canada, 20

11:55 a.m. Caterina Grewe, Germany, 29

2:30 p.m. Philipp Scheucher, Austria, 24

3:20 p.m. Martin James Bartlett, United Kingdom, 20

4:25 p.m. Ilya Maximov, Russia, 30

7:30 p.m. Daniel Hsu, United States, 19

8:20 p.m. Yury Favorin, Russia, 30

9:25 p.m. Yutong Sun, China, 21

Saturday, May 27

10:00 a.m. Luigi Carroccia, Italy, 25

10:50 a.m. Nikolay Khozyainov, Russia, 24

11:55 a.m. Nikita Abrosimov, Russia, 28

2:30 p.m. Georgy Tchaidze, Russia, 29

3:20 p.m.Kenneth Broberg, United States, 23

4:25 p.m. Sun-A Park, United States, 29

7:30 p.m. Rachel Cheung, Hong Kong, 25

8:20 p.m. EunAe Lee, South Korea, 29

9:25 p.m. Sergey Belyavskiy, Russia, 23

Sunday, May 28

10:00 a.m. Tony Yike Yang, Canada, 18

10:50 a.m. Yekwon Sunwoo, South Korea, 28

11:55 a.m. Han Chen, Taiwan, 25

2:30 p.m. Honggi Kim, South Korea, 25

3:20 p.m. Rachel Kudo, United States, 30

4:25 p.m. Alyosha Jurinic, Croatia, 28