Cliburn News - October 2022 (Amateur Competition Edition)

CLIBURN

AMATEUR SCHEDULE

Tickets on sale now for all Competition performances.

FESTIVAL EVENTS

Community concerts, jury symposium, and Open Piano Night are free to attend!

COMPETITORS

From around the world and across professions, meet the pianists

THOMAS YU

Catch up with our 2016 Cliburn Amateur winner.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The thing that thrills me the most is that you are honoring classical music, because I am only a witness and a messenger.

I am only one of many who believe in the beauty of music.

—Van Cliburn, New York ticker-tape parade, 1958

’’

The Eighth Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition is upon us! This event was postponed from May 2020, and I would first like to thank all the Amateur competitors for their patience, resilience, and commitment. They were selected three years ago and, since then, they had to keep practicing, again and again. Teachers, engineers, IT professionals, health and science workers... you will realize their dedication and engagement when you’ll know that, above and beyond their regular jobs, family commitments, and so on, they practice the piano at least several hours per week (or per day)!

The Amateur Competition represents an important part of our mission: the celebration of music. Inspired by Van Cliburn and his desire of sharing music with the world, the amateur pianists are pursuing his vision. Music should be accessible to all and shared. And how great it is that the messengers are flying from all over the world to share their passion with us!

Thirty-nine pianists and 15 additional festival participants from 16 countries are joining us for a week of musical pleasures. At the end, the opportunity for six amateur pianists to play with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is particularly special and exciting. In addition to this, they will also have the privilege to work with Miguel HarthBedoya, the wonderful conductor emeritus of the Orchestra.

Through concerts, discussions, seminars, and symposia, these messengers will bring to all of us the joy of music making and the joy of sharing it with each other. Thank you all, artists, musicians, volunteers, staff, contractors, donors, sponsors and supporters, for making this happen.

Jacques Marquis President and CEO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

You won’t want to miss a note! Tickets to all performances are on sale now.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE COMPETITORS

A host of free concerts and symposia await us this October.

39 incredible pianists, representing 16 countries and ranging in age from 38–72, have been working hard to prepare for their moment on the Cliburn stage.

THE JURY GRAND FINALE AT BASS PERFORMANCE HALL

Meet the jury of this year’s Competition.

with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

We caught up with 2016 Amateur Competition winner, Thomas Yu.

Mark your calendars for the rest of this season’s

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

Follow every moment live and in person, by attending three stunning rounds of competition at the Bass Hall complex. A variety of voices and repertoire will fill the Preliminary and Semifinal recitals, all leading up to the exciting conclusion: six outstanding amateur pianists have the chance to perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Miguel Harth-Bedoya!

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Van Cliburn Recital Hall (330 E. 4th Street)

39 competitors (6–7 each concert) perform a 15-minute solo recital

Wednesday, October 12 I 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 13 I 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 14 I 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Followed by announcement of semifinalists

SEMIFINAL ROUND

Van Cliburn Recital Hall (330 E. 4th Street)

20 competitors perform a 28-minute solo recital

Saturday, October 15 I 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 16 I 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Followed by announcement of finalists

FINAL ROUND

Bass Performance Hall (4th & Calhoun Streets)

6 competitors perform one movement of a concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya

Tuesday, October 18 I 7:00 p.m.

Followed by Awards Ceremony

Photos by Ralph Lauer

AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

The Amateur Competition environment is heartwarming, with people coming from around the globe to be with others who share their deepest passion: the piano. In addition to enrichment activities for the participants, the concurrent festival includes a number of events that are free to the public to attend—including several concerts. It is so meaningful for these artists to play in front of audiences; we hope you’ll come meet and hear them!

FESTIVAL CONCERTS

The non-competing festival participants perform for jury members, who will provide them invaluable notes. Free and open to the public to attend.

Van Cliburn Recital Hall (330 E. 4th Street)

Saturday, October 15 I 10:00 a.m.

Sunday, October 16 I 10:00 a.m.

CLIBURN AMATEUR IN THE COMMUNITY

Free concerts around Fort Worth featuring competitors and festival participants

Wednesday, October 12 I 6:00 p.m. I Fort Worth Public Library – Ridglea

Thursday, October 13 I 6:00 p.m. I Fort Worth Public Library – East Regional Sunday, October 16 I 2:00 p.m. I Fort Worth Public Library – Southwest Regional Monday, October 17 I 12:00 p.m. I 203 Café

Monday, October 17 I 6:00 p.m. I Fort Worth Public Library – Summerglen Additional private concert at The Stayton at Museum Way.

OPEN PIANO NIGHT

A night of fun under the Texas skies with good drinks, food, and, of course, music! Competitors and festival participants (plus a special guest or two!) will come and sign up to perform throughout the evening, on the cool, casual patio of the Post at River East.

The Post at River East (2925 Race St.)

Monday, October 17 I 6:30–10:00 p.m.

JURY SYMPOSIUM

Members of the jury and Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis convene to discuss the differences between evaluating amateur and professional competitions; preparation and the approach to performance; and the importance of program selection and process, all moderated by Buddy Bray.

Van Cliburn Recital Hall (330 E. 4th Street)

Monday, October 17 I 4:00 p.m.

Competitors and festival participants will also be enjoying a number of private musical development opportunities, including 4-hand and chamber music readings, and a special Q&A session with Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

COMPETITORS

These outstanding artists were selected in March 2020 to participate in the Eighth Cliburn Amateur Competition, which was to be held in May 2020. Despite an indefinite postponement and a time of great uncertainty, they kept practicing, they kept their dedication to the instrument and to music. And now, two and a half years later, we cannot wait to welcome these 39 pianists from 16 countries to the Cliburn stage, at last. We hope you’ll join us.

XAVIER AYMONOD

Age 46 Paris, France France Marketing Director –Public Transportation

MATTHEW BARNHILL

Age 38 Charlotte, North Carolina United States Accountant

MIRIAM BERRO

Age 65 Montréal, Canada Argentina/Canada Software Engineer

IPEK BOZKURT

Age 42 Seabrook, Texas

Turkey/United States Professor

DEIRBHILE BRENNAN

Age 53 Dublin, Ireland Ireland Accountant

GORDEN CHENG

Age 41

San Diego, California United States

Information Security Architect

NOAH DEGARMO

Age 44

Dallas, Texas United States Physician

ROBERT FINLEY

Age 72 Northborough, Massachussets United States Electronics Engineer (ret.)

SIMON FINLOW

Age 66 Washington, DC United States IT Project Manager/ Database Engineer (ret.)

THIERRY GOLDWASER

Age 46

Ploeren, France France Software Developer

KEIKO KIRCHER

Age 41 Champaign, Illinois Japan/United States College Physics Instructor

JOHN GUTHEIL

Age 66

La Jolla, California United States/United Kingdom CEO – Medical Oncologist

MARISA NAOMI HAINES

Age 66

Murphy, Texas Brazil/United States Business Strategist

YOUJIN HONG

Age 41 Gangneung, South Korea South Korea Psychiatrist

KEN IISAKA

Age 53

Foster City, California Japan/Canada Software Engineer

YEON WOOK JEONG

Age 53 Seoul, South Korea South Korea Entrepreneur/Attorney

SUZANNA LARAMEE

Age 66

Newport, Rhode Island United States Financial Advisor (ret.)

JON LEE

Age 41 San Fransisco, California United States Software Engineer

SEUNG-YEOP LEE

Age 47

Tampa, Florida South Korea Mathematics Professor

VINCENT LETOURMY

Age 51

Tokyo, Japan France Operations Director

IRENE LONGACREWHITESIDE

Age 67

Arlington, Texas United States/Canada Executive Assistant

AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION

AARON MILLER

Age 42

Los Angeles, California United States

Academic Administrator

RIE MOORE

Age 47

Lexington Park, Maryland Japan

Translator

MASANORI MURAKAMI

Age 38 Tokyo, Japan Japan

Clinical Project Manager

KENSUKE OTA

Age 41

Yokohama, Japan Japan

Research Scientist

YUKA OTOHATA

Age 51 Tokyo, Japan Japan Marketing Operations Professional

ALLEN RACHO

Age 49

Bolingbrook, Illinois

United States

Software Architect

RICHARD REID

Age 71 Cary, North Carolina United States

Software Engineer

JAMES ROSENBLUM

Age 41 Harwich, Massachusetts United States Attorney

DOMINIQUE SALLOUM

Age 53 Cormontreuil, France France/Lebanon CEO – Artificial Intelligence Industry

ELADIO SANTIAGO

Age 58 West Friendship, Maryland United States

President & CEO – Advisory Investment Management

MICHAEL SLAVIN

Age 71 Manhasset, New York United States Neuro-Ophthalmologist (ret.)

MICHAEL STEFANAKIS

Age 40 Athens, Greece Greece

Tax Attorney

SEAN SUTHERLAND

Age 45 Toronto, Canada

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines/Canada Product Manager

FERDY TALAN

Age 38 West New York, New Jersey Indonesia Realtor

HIROKO TOYA

Age 65 Tokyo, Japan Japan Attorney

DMYTRO VYNOGRADOV

Age 52

Kyiv, Ukraine Ukraine

Business Development Manager

EIJI YOSHIMURA

Age 50 Tokyo, Japan Japan

Business Planning Director

Age 49 Huixquilucan, Mexico Mexico

Business Development Director

FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS

Kathy Hodge Abrahamson, 61, United States

Anna Antimiichuk, 39, Russia/United Kingdom

Diane Austin, 68, United States

Xiao Chen, 43, China/Canada

Vivienne Fleischer, 58, United States

Catherine Grimball, 42, United States

Eugene Lee, 60, United States

Olivia Lee, 41, United States

Barbara Roeser, 66, Germany

Esfir Ross, 75, United States

John William Schleifer, 40, United States

Hideko Tazawa, 66, Japan

Wei Ling Wang, 58, United States

Elizabeth Yin, 55, United States

Victor You, 58, United States

JORGE ZAMORA

AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION

THE JURY

The Final Round is the ultimate dream for the Amateur Competitors; walking onto the famed Bass Hall stage to perform with a full orchestra in front of a live audience is something they worked for years for and a moment they will never, ever forget. We are delighted to be able to offer that opportunity once again to six accomplished finalists. We are especially excited that—just like in the Cliburn Competition— these pianists will be working with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra; this time, another special treat: FWSO Music Director Laureate Miguel Harth-Bedoya will take the podium he knows so well.

PAMELA MIA PAUL Jury Chair United States

SPENCER MYER United States

PETER CZORNYJ United Kingdom

ALESSANDRO DELJAVAN Italy VALERY KULESHOV United States/Russia

CAROL LEONE United States ALEX MCDONALD United States

Miguel Harth-Bedoya elizabeth and randall c. gidean conductor

LAUREATE UPDATE:

THOMAS YU

2016 Cliburn Amateur winner Thomas Yu is one of the most recognized non-professional musicians in the world. He has redefined what it means to be an amateur pianist, having performed with BBC Orchestra of Wales, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestre Symphonique du Conservatoire de Paris, to name a few. He also owns a busy private periodontal practice in Calgary (where he lives with his wife and two young boys!), teaches at the Foothills Medical Hospital, and is a sought-after lecturer across Canada. We caught up with him prior to the 2022 Amateur:

CLIBURN: How did it feel to win in 2016? What was your biggest take away from the Competition?

THOMAS: The experience of winning the Cliburn Amateur was like no other. It’s something I will always cherish. To be able to represent Van Cliburn is also a true honor. My biggest takeaway was how well-organized the competition was, and how friendly and supportive the audience was. Just thinking about playing with the Fort Worth Symphony in Bass Hall and the audience cheering gives me goosebumps.

CLIBURN: From your perspective, what do competitions like the Cliburn Amateur mean to dedicated, non-professional artists?

THOMAS: Many of us pianists have had to make a difficult life decision not to pursue music full-time. Yet it hasn’t stopped our passion for playing and performing. Competitions like the Cliburn Amateur encourage us to follow our dreams. And it’s done with a sense of community and positive encouragement. Though these competitions have grown significantly over the past two decades, the Cliburn Amateur has been and always will be the pinnacle for us.

CLIBURN: When and why did you decide to apply for the 2016 Cliburn Amateur? What was your process for preparing for it?

THOMAS: After I won my first amateur competition in 2006 (Paris Concours), I wrote to The Cliburn to see if they could lower the age limit so I could enter—sadly for me, they did not! I had to wait 10 years before becoming eligible. So you could say I was preparing for a very long time! I gained experience through other piano competitions and music festivals. I performed for audiences big and small, and recorded myself as a self-teaching method. The competition then became something more to me, as it happened soon after my mother passed away. Every note I played was dedicated to her. She was my inspiration and motivation to succeed.

CLIBURN: Your home life has changed significantly in the last six years! Tell us about your family—and how has being a parent influenced your musicmaking?

THOMAS: When I competed in 2016, my wife Michelle was already pregnant! It was a secret back then...we laugh now about how she was feeling during the intense heat and long hours of the Competition. We now have two boys Alex and Nico (5 and 3). They show interest in piano, and I can’t wait to show them my Cliburn days when they get older.

CLIBURN: What opportunities have you had to play in public in recent years?

THOMAS: The Cliburn has opened many doors for me. I’ve since performed at Carnegie Hall and also with the Cape Town Philharmonic. The Calgary Civic Symphony has invited me to perform on several occasions as well. A highlight for me was performing Rach 3 to a sold-out concert hall. You carry a different level of confidence and pride when you represent the Cliburn family.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN A WHOLE ‘NUTHER DEAL

The wait is over for what I believe is the most heartwarming event produced by the Cliburn. There can be no mistaking the global cultural impact that is derived from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, or its little sister, the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. Likewise, Cliburn Kids and Cliburn in the Classroom bring classical music, history, arithmetic, rhythm, and fun to thousands of local schoolchildren, many of whom would never be exposed to such highquality educational opportunities if not for those programs.

But the Amateur comes from a completely different place; like we say in Texas, it’s a whole ‘nuther deal.

The Eighth Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition once again brings together those virtuosos who, at some point in their lives, decided to pursue careers other than in music. These are not aspiring professional musicians; they’ve built their careers in other fields, while remaining heartwarmingly dedicated to what, for many of them, was their first love: the piano. Because of their hard work and devotion, they are capable and confident enough to play on the Cliburn stage, in front of a live audience and—for six of them—a full symphony orchestra. Imagine that. It’s what makes the Amateur so special and why it captures the hearts of so many people.

It is the mission of the Cliburn to advance classical music throughout the world, and I cannot imagine a more powerful way to do that than to celebrate those who, quite simply, choose to share their talent, hard work, and passion for piano performance with the rest of us. This is when we as an audience are allowed to experience a love so pure and perfect that we transcend competition.

We hope to see you in mid-October, you really don’t to miss this one.

Jeffrey B. King Chairman of the Board

2022 Gold Medalist Yunchan Lim’s Cliburn performance of the Rachmaninov Piano Concert No. 3 is the mostwatched version of the famous piece on YouTube. Now hear it like never before, with remastered sound by Grammy® award-winning audio engineer Tom Lazarus!

Van Cliburn (1934–2013), our inspiration and namesake, was an American hero and an international icon for over five decades. He was beloved not only for his momentous gift as a brilliant musician, but also for his transcendent spirit as a great humanitarian. All Cliburn programs aim to continue his unique and powerful vision of sharing classical music with as many people as possible and supporting exceptional young talent. CLIBURN.ORG/VAN-CLIBURN

Cliburn.org/golf

or khowell@cliburn.org