Van Cliburn Foundation CEO and president Jacques Marquis has resided in Fort Worth for so long now, he’s no longer considered a guest. In fact, Marquis just celebrated his 10th anniversary at the Cliburn last month, which means he’s very close to being considered an honorary Texan. But in his heart of hearts, Marquis will always be a proud Montrealer. That’s in Canada for those of you scratching your heads.
A bilingual executive with degrees in business administration and music, Marquis is recognized as a dynamic and visionary leader, who is highly skilled in team management, fundraising, operations, and finance. Marquis has served extensively on boards in his native Canada and internationally, among them Jeunesses Musicales International, the World Federation of International Music Competitions, and the Université du Québec à Montréal.
So, in honor of this ten-year milestone, Fort Worth Magazine spoke with Marquis about his love of music, his first impressions of Fort Worth, and what it was like meeting the late great Van Cliburn himself
FW: How did you get involved with music in the first place?
JM: When I was young, I began to sing and play piano and that was my introduction to music. I actually decided to get a bachelor’s degree in piano because it has a never-ending learning curve and I liked that (laughs). I realized pretty fast though that I would be better doing something else in music than playing the piano, … that’s when I decided to get a bachelor’s in business. I did this because I like math and then after that, this was back in the late 80s early 90s, I decided to combine both degrees. Now there are programs that do this, but at that time this type of study was not available. The next thing I did was apply to opera houses and orchestras and got into the orchestra part in the field of art management. After that, I was involved with the Montreal competition, which we started with my organization. It was from this very competition world that I entered the Cliburn from. Now here I am.
FW: What was the music scene like in Montreal?
JM: It was a very vibrant cultural city. We have two major orchestras with many presenters and many halls. Montreal is a fun place to expand your vision on the artistic side and I was fortunate enough to work with two great organizations there.
FW: What were your first impressions of Fort Worth?
JM: It was hot, I came in June (laughs). But I liked the fact that the Cliburn is like the Wimbledon of classic music competitions, which was my biggest attraction in coming here. Actually, the story of Van himself was also very interesting to me. At that time, he was still alive and I met him, plus the fact that this foundation was still solid after 50 years. What was really, really surprising for me was the fact that the Cliburn was held in such high esteem here in Fort Worth. When I first moved here and I would go out for a coffee, people could tell I was not from here after just two words. They would ask me where I was from and I would tell them ‘Montreal’ and then they would ask why I was here. I would tell them I was working at the Cliburn and almost immediately everyone knew what I was talking about. This reach goes out to the volunteers and donors. The people here supported the Cliburn as their own and that was very special.
FW: What was it like meeting the man, the myth, the legend Van Cliburn himself?
JM: When I knew I was coming here to Fort Worth, I read everything I could about Van. Then when I got here I had access to all of the files and stuff, which I dug into not just to know about Van, but also how the Cliburn runs. When I met Van, he was charming and nice. He had this thing where he would make you feel unique. I showed him my piano hand and he came over, suddenly my hand disappeared. He had huge hands. He had a very good reach. We just talked for an hour about piano, about competitions, and eventually evolved to talk about voice and singing, since I also used to do voice competitions. We talked about several things, including some ideas I already had, and it was really, really nice.
FW: Have there been any issues with any of the participants for these competitions that have to travel from an area in conflict?
JM: There were a few challenges last year for sure. But the participants were so pleased to be here when they arrived. I mean a lot of these artists practice some five, six, ten hours a day and by the age of sixteen, they are crazy good. Really, they just want a chance to share their talent with an audience. And this is what we give them, a platform or a place where they can share their vision. All of the conflict back home disappears when they are performing and sharing their talent. The best gift that we can give them is to put them in front of an audience at a piano. In this way, we can help their careers and build the next generation of piano players/superhumans.
FM: In your ten years as the president and CEO of the Cliburn, what are some of your favorite stand-out moments?
JM: When Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky piano competition in 1958, he said, ‘Music brings people together.’ Once again, last year that’s exactly what we did. We put politics aside and just focused on the music for the adult competition, which garnered a first-place winner from South Korea. I also really like the junior competition which started back in 2015 that is happening again in Dallas in 2023; in three months. The junior is quite fun because we try to make it a learning experience for them. They are so talented. The world is their oyster. For this, we have fun inviting former Cliburn winners, teachers, jurors, and conductors to come and talk with them and explore ideas and answer any questions they may have. We also try to be more accessible here in Fort Worth by presenting concerts where the people are. This means exploring new venues where we can talk to the people and explain our mission.
