TWELFTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION IS
SET TO BEGIN ON MAY 20
VAN CLIBURN TO HOST AWARDS CEREMONY ON JUNE 5
MORE WOMEN THAN MEN WILL COMPETE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN COMPETITION
HISTORY
LIVE COMPETITION WEBCAST AT WWW.CLIBURN.ORG
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, May 17, 2005 — The Van Cliburn Foundation’s
Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in Fort Worth,
Texas, is set to begin this Friday, May 20, and will conclude
on Sunday, June 5, 2005. Founded in 1962 to honor Van Cliburn’s
celebrated victory in the first Moscow Tchaikovsky International
Competition, the Cliburn Competition takes place every four years
in the artist’s home town.
The Cliburn Competition functions as the ultimate audition, and
will showcase 35 of the world’s most promising young pianists
over two and a half weeks of thrilling music-making. The emerging
six finalists are provided with a unique opportunity to share
hundreds of concert engagements throughout the United States and
Europe. During these 17 days in Fort Worth, the young contestants
will play various works in three phases of competition: solo works,
chamber music and concertos.
Coordinated by the Van Cliburn Foundation on a commission-free
basis, the contracted tour dates during the three years following
the competition have a combined value estimated at more than $1,000,000.
Winners will be managed by the Van Cliburn Foundation in the United
States and by IMG Artists in Europe. In addition to worldwide
tours and cash prizes, medalists will receive a CD release of
their prize-winning performances on the harmonia mundi usa label,
as well as widespread media exposure through radio and television
programs.
VAN CLIBURN TO HOST AWARDS CEREMONY
The Awards Ceremony on June 5, 2005 will be hosted by Van Cliburn,
who recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George
W. Bush and the Order of Friendship from Russian president Vladimir
Putin. The latter honor was recently awarded to the pianist in
the Kremlin to commemorate his legendary performance at the First
International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, which
brought him worldwide fame. This will be the first time in the
history of the competition that Mr. Cliburn will deliver the keynote
address.
Anthony Hopkins, originally scheduled to host the Awards Ceremony,
was forced to withdraw due to a scheduling conflict.
THE ROAD TO THE CLIBURN COMPETITION
The process of entering the competition began in October 2004,
when 270 pianists from all over the world applied. From that group,
147 pianists from 34 countries were invited to audition. Auditions
were held in Utrecht, Netherlands; St. Petersburg, Russia; Lugano,
Switzerland; New York City, and Fort Worth. The five-person screening
jury consisted of John Giordano, Marcello Abbado, Thomas Frost,
Yoheved Kaplinsky (chair of the Piano Department of the Juilliard
School of Music), and Jürgen Meyer-Josten.
On March 1, the 35 selected participants were announced, of whom
19 are women and 16 men. For the first time in the history of
the competition more women than men were selected. The pianists
range in age from 19 to 30, and represent 13 countries: Australia
(1), Canada (1), China (8), Germany (1), Israel (1), Italy (4),
Lithuania (1), Russia (6), South Korea (2), United Kingdom (1),
Ukraine (3), United States (5), and Venezuela (1).
PIANISTS SELECTED TO COMPETE IN THE TWELFTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL
PIANO COMPETITION
Name Nationality Age (as of May 20)
Ms. Lilian Akopova Ukraine 21
Mr. Ning An USA (Ooltewah, TN) 28
Mr. Guiseppe Andaloro Italy 22
Mr. Stephen Beus USA (Othello, WA) 23
Mr. Sodi Braide Nigeria/UK 29
Mr. Davide Cabassi Italy 28
Ms. Jie Chen China 19
Ms. Sa Chen China 25
Ms. Ying Feng* China 28
Ms. Grace Fong USA (Bakersfield, CA) 26
Mr. Davide Franceschetti* Italy 28
Mr. Alexei Grynyuk Ukraine 27
Ms. Chu-Fang Huang China 22
Ms. Mariya Kim Ukraine 23
Mr. Alexander Kobrin Russia 25
Ms. Marina Kolomiytseva Russia 25
Mr. Alexey Koltakov** Australia 26
Ms. Soyeon Lee S. Korea 25
Ms. Ang Li Canada 20
Mr. Albert Mamriev* Israel 30
Ms. Gabriela Martinez Venezuela 21
Ms. Maria Mazo Germany/Russia 22
Mr. Alexandre Moutouzkine* Russia 24
Ms. Esther Park USA (Little Ferry, NJ) 20
Mr. Roberto Plano Italy 26
Ms. Daria Rabotkina Russia 24
Mr. Ilya Rashkovskiy Russia 20
Ms. Elizabeth Joy Roe USA (Aurora, IL) 23
Ms. Rui Shi China 21
Mr. Rem Urasin Russia 29
Mr. Xiaohan Wang** China 24
Ms. Di Wu China 20
Ms. ChenXin Xu China 23
Ms. Joyce Yang S. Korea 19
Mr. Andrius Zlabys Lithuania 28
*Competitor in Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
** Finalist in Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
RADIO SERIES
The WFMT Radio Network is offering a 25-week radio series on
the competition. The 24 programs will each be one hour in length,
except for the two-hour special broadcast on June 6 following
the announcement of the winners. This special program will be
devoted entirely to the winners of this year’s competition
and rebroadcast as the series’ closing program. Radio stations
around the country will have the option of broadcasting this special
immediately following the announcement and/or at the end of the
radio series.
FEATURED PERFORMERS
The competition will be held in the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass
Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, which has 2000 seats and
highly acclaimed acoustics. American maestro James Conlon, music
director-designate of the Ravinia Festival and the Los Angeles
Opera, and music director of the Cincinnati May Festival, will
return for his third consecutive Cliburn Competition to conduct
the Fort Worth Symphony in the Final Round. The Grammy-nominated
Takács Quartet will return for the second time to perform
chamber music with the semifinalists.
COMPETITION JURORS
This year’s competition jury will consist of eleven members:
Maestro JOHN GIORDANO: non-voting chairman, conductor and music
director, Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra; Mr. MARCELLO ABBADO:
pianist, composer, and administrator; Mr. PETER COSSÉ:
producer, lecturer, administrator; Mr. RICHARD DYER: writer and
music critic for the Boston Globe; Mr. CLAUDE FRANK: pianist and
teacher; Mr. THOMAS FROST: recording producer; Ms. ZHOU GUANGREN:
pianist and magazine editor; Mr. JOSEPH KALICHSTEIN: pianist,
teacher, administrator; Mr. JÜRGEN MEYER-JOSTEN: administrator
and pianist; Mr. MENAHEM PRESSLER: pianist and teacher; Mr. TADEUSZ
STRUGALA: conductor.
LIVE INTERNET WEBCAST
For the first time in its history, the Van Cliburn International
Piano Competition will offer audio and video streaming of the
competition in real time through its web site, www.cliburn.org.
The web site will offer unlimited access to internet users all
over the world, who will be able to watch and listen to performances,
and view text on the repertoire and performers. Also for the first
time, internet users will be able to cast a vote for a winner
during the final phase of the competition. A separate internet
prize will be awarded to the pianist who receives the most electronic
votes from the public. The internet prize, presented by Apple,
will consist of a 60GB Apple iPod photo. It will be engraved with
his/her name and loaded with digital photos of his/her winning
performances at the competition. Apple will also offer a 20GB
engraved iPod to the other five finalists.
ONLINE VOTING
Reflect Systems, Inc. will provide the technology to watch, listen
to and vote for a winner to everyone in the world with access
to the internet. The competition will be streamed live in Windows
Media streaming audio/video format and available in three bit-rates:
56kbps for dial-up/modem users, 100kbps, and 300kbps for DSL/Cable
modem and high-speed corporate LAN users. Webcast attendance is
free and open to the public; the only requirement for viewing
is that attendees register on the web site, www.cliburn.org.
CLIBURN COMPETITION BLOG
Two bloggers have been invited to cover the competition and to
report on their experiences from the audience’s point of
view. Mike Winter will cover the preliminaries from May 20 to
May 24, and Carl Tait, a past Amateur Competition participant,
will cover the semifinals and finals from May 25 to June 5. The
blog will be available through the www.cliburn.org web site and
readers will be invited to post comments to the bloggers.
EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES
The web site will also offer many features for educators and children,
including an online study guide featuring information about classical
music and the competition. It is freely available for educators
to download. >From May 20 a daily quiz based on the study guide
will be available to students. The winners of the quiz will receive
a CD titled Children’s Corner by Cliburn and autographed
by a Cluburn medalist. The Cliburn Competition has made the 14
tracks of piano music on the Children’s Corner CD available
for download to either MP3 players or CD. Liner notes and cover
art for the recording can also be printed from the site.
>From now until May 15, children will be able to e-mail questions
to the 35 competitors, through the “Ask a Competitor”
program. The competitors will answer these questions through streaming
video during the competition.
Children’s Art Gallery:
Starting immediately, children aged 17 AND UNDER are invited to
draw, paint, or sculpt personal expressions of the Cliburn Competition,
then e-mail a digital image of their artwork to the Van Cliburn
Foundation for a chance to have their art published on the web
site. Students and/or schools are invited to participate. Children
who submit art selected for the Art Gallery will receive a copy
of the Children’s Corner by Cliburn CD autographed by a
Cliburn medalist. Detailed instructions are available at: http://www.cliburn.org/page/476/1.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Phase I: Preliminary Round May 20 - 24, 2005
Each of 35 competitors will perform a 50-minute solo program
Phase II: Semi-Final Round May 26 - 29, 2005
Each of the twelve competitors chosen from round one will perform
a 60-minute solo program, including a new work selected for the
American Composers Invitational, and a piano quintet (performed
with the Takács Quartet) by either Johannes Brahms, Antonín
Dvorák, Robert Schumann or César Franck.
Phase III: Final Round June 1 - 5, 2005
The six finalists will each play a 50-minute solo recital and
two concerti with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. One concerto
is to be selected from works by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Mendelssohn
and Saint-Saëns; the other is left to the pianist’s
choice.
Phase IV: Awards Ceremony June 5, 5:00 p.m.
The awards will be announced by Van Cliburn in a final ceremony
at Bass Performance Hall.
PRIZES AND AWARDS
First Prize: Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal; cash award
of $20,000; performance attire provided by Neiman Marcus; international
concert tours and career management for the three concert seasons
following the Competition; compact disc recording on the harmonia
mundi label; contribution towards domestic and international air
travel on American Airlines during the three-year concert tours;
silver trophy cup
Second Prize: Silver Medal; cash award of $20,000; U.S. concert
tours and career management for the three concert seasons following
the Competition; compact disc recording on the harmonia mundi
label
Third Prize: Crystal Award; cash award of $20,000; U.S. concert
tours and career management for the three concert seasons following
the Competition; compact disc recording on the harmonia mundi
label
At least 15 other prizes will also be given.
AMERICAN COMPOSERS INVITATIONAL
The Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition requires
all semifinalists to perform one of the new American works selected
especially for the competition for the American Composers Invitational.
The composers selected for this year’s competition are:
Sebastian Currier, Jennifer Higdon, Daniel Kellogg, Jan Krzywicki,
and Ruth Schonthal. The works were selected by a jury consisting
of Lowell Liebermann (winner of the Foundation’s first American
Composers Invitational), composer Robert Maggio, and Michael Boriskin,
artistic director of Copland House. The works by the winning composers
were sent to the 35 competitors in late February with the composers’
names withheld. Each of the jury-selected works was chosen by
at least one competitor for performance during the semifinal round
of the Cliburn Competition.
Each composer whose work is performed during the semifinals will
receive a cash award, and the work chosen by the greatest number
of semifinalists will receive a grand prize. While the initiative
continues to provide exposure to the work of American composers,
it also underscores the importance of creating music that appeals
to performers.
SPONSORS
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor of the Van Cliburn
Foundation. American Airlines, Bank of America, City of Fort Worth,
Eastman Kodak Company, Star-Telegram, Steinway & Sons, and
XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors, and Clear Channel
Communications and RadioShack are the Cliburn’s Corporate
Sponsors. Official Sponsors are the Arts Council of Fort Worth
and Tarrant County, The Burnett Foundation, Once Upon a Time,
and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Star-Telegram is the principal
media partner and WRR 101.1 FM is the official radio station of
Cliburn Concerts.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Please note: the Preliminaries will start at 1:00 p.m. instead
of the originally scheduled 1:30 p.m.
Friday, May 20
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“A personal perspective on competitions, career, and the
arts”
Stanislav Ioudenitch, Gold Medalist, Eleventh Competition
PepsiCo Recital Hall, TCU
Preliminaries 1:00 p.m.
Preliminaries 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Preliminaries 1:00 p.m.
Preliminaries 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“Technology for Musicians”
José Feghali, Artist-in-Residence, TCU and Gold Medalist,
Seventh Competition
PepsiCo Recital Hall, TCU
Preliminaries 1:00 p.m.
Preliminaries 7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 23
Preliminaries 1:00 p.m.
Preliminaries 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 24
Preliminaries 1:00 p.m.
Preliminaries 7:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Wednesday, May 25
Piano Marathon 10:00-5:00 pm
Performing opportunity for competitors who do not pass to the
Semifinal Round. Consists of 40-minute recitals with repertoire
of artist’s choice.
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Thursday, May 26
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“Contemporary Music for the Piano”
Moderator: Shields-Collins Bray, Artistic Director Modern at the
Modern by Cliburn
Panelists: Participants in the Second American Composers Invitational
Introduction: Richard Rodzinski, President and Maria Guralnik,
General Manager, VCF
PepsiCo Recital Hall, TCU
Semifinals 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 27
Piano Marathon 10-1:00 p.m.
Performing opportunity for competitors who do not pass to Semifinal
Round. Consists of 40-minute recitals with repertoire of artist’s
choice.
Auditorium, Modern Museum of Fort Worth
Semifinals 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 28
Seminar 10-11:30 a.m.
“Classical Music and the Media: New Technology and Trends”
Moderator: Scott Cantrell, Classical Music Critic, Dallas Morning
News
Panelists: Xavier Dubois, Producer, Bel Air Media; Stan Woodward,
CEO and; Chairman, Reflect Systems, Inc.; Steve Zakar, Independent
Audio and Video Producer
Van Cliburn Recital Hall, Bass Hall
Semifinals 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 29
Semifinals 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals 7:30 p.m.
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Monday, May 30
Film Festival 2:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part 1”
“Abbado/Von Otter/Schubert Lieder”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 4:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part IV”
“Liszt – Boris Berdezovsky”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 7:00 p.m.
“The Verbier Festival & Academy 10th Anniversary Piano
Extravaganza”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Tuesday, May 31
Film Festival 2:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part II”
“Greening in Music – A Portrait of Roger Norrington”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 4:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part III”
“Concerto Night in Verbier – Verbier Festival 2003”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 7:00 p.m.
“In Search of Schubert – Part I - Finding the Right
Balance”
“In Search of Schubert – Part II – The Maze”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Wednesday, June 1
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“Post-Graduate and Competition Careers Today”
Moderator: Maria Guralnik, General Manager, Van Cliburn Foundation
Panelists: Katherine Akos, Executive Director, Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestra; Yoheved Kaplinsky, Chairperson, Piano Department, The
Juilliard School; Robina Young, Vice President and Artistic Director,
harmonia mundi usa
Pepsico Recital Hall, TCU
Film Festival 2:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part III”
“Une Leçon de Pierre Boulez” (A Lesson by Pierre
Boulez)
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 4:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part II”
“Abbado/Quasthoff/Schubert Lieder”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Finals 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 2
Symposium: The Critics Roundtable 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Panelists: Susan Elliott, Musical America, Atlanta Journal Constitution;
John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune; Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun; Zachary
Lewis, Cleveland Plain Dealer; Wes Blomster, American Record Guide;
Joseph Dalton, Albany Times Union; John Fleming, St. Petersburg
Times; Stuart Burnham, North Carolina website writer; Sarah Bryan
Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch;
Film Festival 2:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part IV”
“Mozart’s Courtly Operas”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Film Festival 4:00 p.m.
“In Search of Beethoven – Part I”
“Abbado/Schubert – Symphony No. 9, ‘The Great’”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Finals 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 3
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“Meet the Jury”
Moderator: Jury Chairman John Giordano, Music Director, Corpus
Christi Symphony Orchestra; Conductor Emeritus, Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestra; Distinguished Fellow in Music, Texas Christina University
Panelists: Richard Dyer, Classical Music Critic, Boston Globe;
Thomas Frost, Independent Record Producer; Joseph Kalichstein,
Concert Pianist; Menahem Pressler, Founder and Member of the Beaux
Arts Trio; Distinguished Professor of Music, School of Music,
Indiana University; Concert Pianist Zhou Guangren, former Chairman,
Piano Department, Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing; Founder
of the Zhou Guangren Piano Art Center; Editor-in-Chief, Piano
Artistry magazine
Van Cliburn Recital Hall, Bass Hall
Film Festival 2:00 p.m. “Berlioz – La Symphonie Fantastique”
“In den Winden im Nichts”
4:00 p.m. “Cinderella”
Auditorium, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Finals 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 4
Seminar 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Discussion with James Conlon
Hosted by Richard Rodzinski, President of the Van Cliburn Foundation.
Van Cliburn Recital Hall, Bass Hall
