Van Cliburn's sensational victory at the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1958 heralded a new confidence in the quality of American music-making, as well as a new era in cultural relations between East and West. The quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, widely recognized as one of the world's most important, was organized by a group of music teachers and citizens from Fort Worth in 1962 to commemorate his historic achievement and is dedicated to the discovery of the world's finest pianists. The fourteenth edition May 24 -June 9, 2013, will be held at at Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall.
During three weeks, the competitors will perform two 45-minute solo recitals in the Preliminary Round. The 12 semifinalists will be selected to perform a 60-minute solo recital, including the commissioned work by American composer Christopher Theofanidis, and a piano quintet with the world-renowned Brentano String Quartet. The six finalists will perform two piano concerti with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leonard Slatkin. John Giordano will serve as chairman of Jury.
All performances will be streamed live in their entirety and available on-demand at Cliburn.org. In its 50-year history, the Cliburn has identified and ushered a host of exceptional artists to international prominence, including Barry Douglas, Olga Kern, Radu Lupu, Jon Nakamatsu, Cristina Ortiz, Nobuyuki Tsujii and Haochen Zhang.
