“The best pianists in the world.
The ideal performance environment.
Unrivaled international exposure.
The launch of a career.”

history

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 presented the fifteenth edition May 26 - June 10, 2017 at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall where the medalists were South Korean Yekwon Sunwoo (1st), American Kenny Broberg (2nd), and American Daniel Hsu (3rd).

Pianist Van Cliburn

Pianist Van Cliburn

“...Cross between the Miss America Pageant, the Olympic Games, the Academy Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize.”
— The Boston Globe

In advance of the Competition, an esteemed screening jury travels around the world to hear pianists perform 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, cash prizes and awards, and three years of commission-free career management valued at over $1.3 million.

Cliburn President and CEO 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.”

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. The winners of the 2013 Cliburn Competition have performed over 300 concerts, earning more than $1 million in fees; released nine critically acclaimed recordings for the harmonia mundi, Delos, Steinway & Sons, and Warner Classics labels; and garnered awards from Gramophone and International Piano magazines, BBC Radio, the Borletti Buitoni Trust, and the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund. The medalists have signed with some of the world’s foremost artist management agencies: Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko with Sulivan Sweetland Artists, and Silver Medalist Beatrice Rana with Primo Artists in North and South America.

 

NEWS

Featured
The Cliburn: New York Times
The Cliburn: New York Times
The Cliburn Announces New Cliburn International Competition for Conductors
The Cliburn Announces New Cliburn International Competition for Conductors

VIDEOS

Cliburn2017 Web series - Episode #9: Announcing the Finalists

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Final Concerto - Yekwon Sunwoo playing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition May 25-June 10, 2017 • Bass Performance Hall Fort Worth, TX, USA KENNY BROBERG 2017 CLIBURN SILVER MEDALIST United States | Age 23 Final Round Concerto - Friday, June 9, 2017 RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin A native of Minneapolis, 23-year-old pianist Kenny Broberg won the silver medal at the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for performances that showed “an imaginative shaping of themes, revelation of inner voices, and an unfailing sense of momentum” (Texas Classical Review). His 2017–2018 debut season as Cliburn medalist will include a recital tour in Hawaii, a return to his alma mater, the University of Houston, for its annual Texas Music Festival, and orchestra and recital engagements in Denver, New Orleans, West Palm Beach, and other cities across the United States. In Europe, Mr. Broberg appears with the Rye Arts Festival and Hastings Philharmonic in the United Kingdom, and in recital in Italy. His debut solo album will be released by Decca Gold in August, as part of his Competition prizes. Also a prizewinner of the Hastings, Sydney, Seattle, and New Orleans International Piano Competitions, Mr. Broberg has previously performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic, Minnesota, Sydney Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Dallas Chamber, Fort Worth Symphony, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestras, among others, working with conductors Ludovic Morlot, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Leonard Slatkin, Nichola Milton, and Nicholas McGegan. His solo, chamber, and concerto performances have been broadcast on NPR and ABC (Australia) radio, and several of his performances at the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition were included on CDs released on the Universal Music Australia label. The first musician in his family, Mr. Broberg started piano lessons at age 6, when he was first fascinated by his mother’s upright—a wedding gift from her parents. He studied for nine years with Dr. Joseph Zins before entering the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree with Nancy Weems in 2016. He currently resides in Parkville, Missouri, under the guidance of 2001 Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University. A hockey and baseball athlete in high school, he still enjoys watching and playing sports, in addition to listening to jazz and reading.

2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition semi-finals - Daniel Hsu playing Schubert

Cliburn 2013 Vadym Kholodenko Preliminary Recital II; Program Bach-Siloti Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109 Stravinsky Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

 
Website
Website