Search

Get a taste of the artistry and excitement of the upcoming 2025 Cliburn Competition! Bring your friends and family for a free concert featuring 2022 finalist Clayton Stephenson and the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band in this year's return of the Countdown to the Cliburn series.

2022 Competition Artistic Collaborators

In this concert, 4 of 12 competitors will each perform a Mozart concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Called the “Van Cliburn of today” by the BBC, pianist Alexander Kobrin has placed himself at the forefront of today’s performing musicians. His prize-winning performances have been praised for their brilliant technique, musicality, and emotional engagement with the audience.

The Houston Symphony and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University are key partners in the launch of the 2028 Cliburn International Competition for Conductors

Cliburn Social is an all-ages, specially curated, classical experience of cool performances paired with opportunities to hang out, learn more about classical music + make new friends.

In this concert, 3 of 6 competitors will each perform concertos with Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

A native of Aichi, Japan, Masaya Kamei—at the age of 20—has achieved major piano accolades in his home country. He was the first to be accepted to the Toho Gakuen College Music Department a year early (in 2019). At the same time, he was the first to win both of Japan’s largest national competitions, the Music Competition of Japan Piano Division and the PTNA Piano Competition Special Grade, in a single year. Other awards include the Masuzawa, Nomura, Iguchi, Kawai, Miyake, and Steinway Prizes; the Argerich Arts Promotion Foundation Award; and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award.

The Cliburn initiated Adopt-A-Competitor in 1997, in collaboration with Fort Worth ISD, to give children a direct link to the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Competitors volunteered to present concerts to local elementary school students, answer questions, and take pictures. Students then tracked their competitor’s progress throughout the Competition. Since the program’s inception, North Texas kids have met and learned about 66 Cliburn competitors, including five medalists.

Sa Chen Jury Chair for the 2027 Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists