He was a musical force to reckon with - and a beloved fixture in the Fort Worth community. With Van Cliburn's passing in February, the globe lost one of the grandest pianists ever to tickle the ivories. Cliburn was a world-class virtuoso, to be sure, but he also was every bit the Texas gentleman, wowing people with his benevolent spirit as well as his musical forte. Thankfully, his legacy lives on through the eponymously named foundation formed in his honor and the elite piano competition it's been staging every four years since 1962.
Starting in January, 133 Cliburn hopefuls from across the world compete piano-style in Hong Kong, Hannover, Moscow, Milan, New York and Fort Worth, battling to gain entrée into the competition, which debuts May 24 at Bass Performance Hall. Those 133 (ranging in age from 18 to 30) were whittled down to 30 - and that select handful will temporarily hang their hats in Cowtown this month and next.
Without a doubt, one of the keys to the competition's uniqueness is that the 30 contestants bunk with local host families for the duration of their stay - which, depending on how they rank, can be as long as three weeks.
"It's a big commitment," said Maggie Estes, the Cliburn Foundation's director of marketing and PR. "The host families really become their families."
One such family is the Seidler clan, who are readying their Westcliff home for their music-making lodger - as of this writing, the couple didn't know which contestant they'd be hosting - including carving out a spot for the Steinway that the foundation will park in their pad. (It's a loaner; they'll bid it adieu when the event wraps.)
"It's like adopting a child for the time they're here," Karen Seidler said of the experience. This will be the third time she and husband David have hosted a Cliburn contestant. "If we go to dinner, we take them with us. And if we prepare dinner, we eat with them here."
The treat, she says, comes from having a steady stream of in-house tunes. "We just sit and listen to them practice," she said. "It's a rare opportunity to get to know them and see how they tick and be that close to the music."
Renie Steves "flipped out" when she found out she'd be hosting a Cliburn contestant. But here's the compelling part: The Fort Worthian will welcome 24-year-old Russian Nikita Mndoyants, who just so happens to be the son of Alexander Mndoyants, the man she hosted in 1977.
"I was off the wall when I found out Nikita made it [into the finals]," said Steves, who's hosted would-be winners five times before. "The idea that Alex's youngest son is a competitor is beyond my imagination."
What's also difficult to fathom, our sources told us, is a Van Cliburn competition sans its world-famous namesake.
"It's going to be a happy but sad year because of [Van's death]," Karen Seidler said. "He was always such a dear to the competitors and to us - so accessible, kind and generous. I'm sad these competitors won't have the chance to know him. But his legend lives on through the competition."
He may be gone, but he's most definitely not forgotten. In fact, this year's Cliburn will pay special tribute to Van, Steves notes. "Whoever is a medalist - in the top three - will never forget this competition was in Van Cliburn's memory," she said. "I feel quite sure it will be embedded in every one of these young people's minds. It certainly will be in mine."
