Welcome to the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition – Competitors vie for medals, as the audience cheers, and the Paparazzi love to write about it.
What’s its Story?
The origin of the competition is quite fascinating; perhaps some day a movie gets made on this story.
It all started in Moscow, in 1958, at the height of the cold war.
The Soviet Union wanted to showcase its cultural superiority by mounting the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. Naturally, a Russian was expected to win.
However, the jury was in a for surprise. A lean, young Texan named Van Cliburn not only performed spectacularly but won the competition after wowing the jury as well as audience.
Even though the jury knew that Cliburn was the best, they were reluctant to announce him as the victor. Thanks to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s right question (“Was he the best?”), an international superstar was born.
People in the US decided to honor Van Cliburn by setting up a competition that will rival the one in Moscow.
Being from Texas, Fort Worth (unlikely host for any international gathering) was chosen as the venue for the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition that took place in 1962.
International Appeal
The Van Cliburn International piano competition is a major American cultural event held every four years. It brings together the world’s best pianists to Fort Worth, TX to compete for the coveted Cliburn gold medal.
The Cliburn is “a cross between the Miss America Pageant, the Olympic Games, the Academy Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize.” – Boston Globe.
Besides getting to see talented pianists perform, you also get to see exclusive interviews of several classical music VIPs.
“It is a forum for young artists to celebrate the great works of the piano literature and an opportunity to expose their talents to a wide-ranging international audience,” Cliburn said during the 10th competition in 1997.
Watch: Cliburn Competition
What’s in for the Winner?
Besides the $50,000 prize money for the Cliburn gold medalist, the winner receives commission-free career management for three years following the competition. Another special for the gold medalist: a complete wardrobe of performance attire courtesy of Neiman Marcus.
Website: cliburn.org
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