
The Cliburn
The Cliburn
Ziyu Liu
The 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, colloquially known as the Cliburn, has announced the names of the 77 dexterous individuals who have advanced to the shortlist of the quadrennial competition.
To become one of the 30 pianists who will compete at the Cliburn in May, these 77 finalists will each perform a 25-minute recital as a screening audition, which will take place from March 16 to 22 at PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU. Following the screenings, five jurors comprised of internationally recognized artists will whittle the field down to 30.
Admission is free and open to the public, so whether you’re a fan of classical music or in search of a solid, cost-effective date night, you should attend. Also … you’re welcome.
The screenings begin Sunday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m. Every subsequent day, screenings will begin at 10 a.m., with the final performances at 9:11 p.m. You can check out the Cliburn website for the full schedule.
A peek at the competitors shows a diverse group of pianists that hail from 22 different countries and regions, which includes China, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, South Korea, Israel, and many more.
Though the competition traditionally takes places every four years, this year’s edition of the Cliburn is taking place only three years after the last competition — COVID causing the delay of the 2021 contest. So, this year’s Cliburn is getting the competition back in sync with taking place the same year as the presidential inauguration.
Despite its delay, the last Cliburn received attention and plaudits from audiences, classical musicians, and media outlets alike for the performance of eventual winner Yunchan Lim, who became the youngest person ever to win the competition at 18 years old. A YouTube video of his performance in the 2022 finals has racked up over 16 million views. You can watch it below.
This year’s Cliburn will take place from May 21 to June 7, with performances taking place at Bass Performance Hall and Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU.