Van Cliburn Gold Medalist

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, Texas in 1962 to commemorate his historic achievement and is dedicated to the discovery of the world's finest pianists. The Cliburn will present the fourteenth edition May 24 -June 9, 2013, at Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall.

In advance of the Competition, an esteemed five-member screening jury will travel to Hong Kong, Hannover, Moscow, Milan, New York City, and Fort Worth in January and February 2013 to hear 133 pianists perform a 40-minute recital before a live audience. Few other competitions offer applicants the opportunity to showcase their talent through the intimacy and immediacy of a live performance, and none as comprehensively as the Cliburn. From these auditions, 30 of the world's finest pianists will be invited to compete for the coveted Cliburn medals, more than $175,000 in prizes and awards, and three years of commission-free career management valued at over $1.3 million.

During a demanding three-week schedule, all competitors will perform two 45-minute solo recitals in the Preliminary Round. Then 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 the 13-member jury for his eleventh Competition since assuming the post in 1973.

Cliburn Interim Executive Director Jacques Marquis says: "We are looking for a true artist who can connect with audiences and touch their hearts. We give the competitors multiple platforms to present us with their artistic personality and communicative power. The winners will be offered an unparalleled opportunity to build a meaningful concert career, and we are honored to be a part of launching them onto the world stage and celebrating classical music."

All performances will be streamed live in their entirety and available on-demand at Cliburn.org, making it possible for virtually anyone anywhere to experience the Competition. Additional media exposure will be generated through a documentary film, to be aired nationally on PBS; radio broadcasts; and commercial recordings produced and distributed by harmonia mundi usa.

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, and Cristina Ortiz. For the winners of the 2009 Competition, the Cliburn secured representation with some of the industry's foremost artist management agencies: Nobuyuki Tsujii with Avex Classics International in Japan and IMG Artists elsewhere; and Haochen Zhang with KAJIMOTO and Opus 3 Artists in North and South America.