The Cliburn
The Cliburn
Ziyu Liu
In Fort Worth, the name Cliburn carries weight — elegant, ivory-keyed weight. For decades, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has electrified Bass Performance Hall and, more recently, the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, serving as a launchpad for pianistic prodigies whose fingers seem to dance with destiny. Now, thanks to a new partnership with Carnegie Hall+, the Cliburn is bringing its virtuosity to living rooms worldwide.
Carnegie Hall+, the streaming arm of the legendary New York venue, is known for curating the crème de la crème of classical music. Beginning this month, the platform will showcase an exclusive collection of Cliburn performances, documentaries, and legacy content, with new releases rolling out monthly. Think of it as a Netflix for the note-perfect.
The spotlight for May? None other than 2009 Cliburn gold medalist Nobuyuki Tsujii, whose story is as stirring as his musicianship. Blind from birth, Tsujii conquered the Cliburn stage — and soon after, the world — with performances that silenced skeptics and left audiences spellbound. Carnegie Hall+ subscribers can now stream “A Surprise in Texas,” the 2009 documentary chronicling his Cliburn journey; his 2012 Carnegie Hall recital; and “Touching the Sound,” a film that captures his improbable rise. Tsujii is set to return to Carnegie Hall this fall — his eighth performance on that storied stage.
But Tsujii isn’t the only alum in the limelight. The 2025–2026 Carnegie Hall season reads like a Cliburn honor roll: Olga Kern (2001 gold), Beatrice Rana (2013 silver), Yeol Eum Son (2009 silver), and, of course, Yunchan Lim (2022 gold) all grace the calendar. It’s a testament to the Cliburn’s unmatched talent radar — and a reminder that many of today’s global stars got their start under the bright lights of Fort Worth.
The new streaming deal comes just as the Cliburn gears up for its seventeenth competition, running May 21–June 7. Thirty of the world’s finest emerging pianists will descend on Cowtown to compete not just for $265,000 in cash prizes — including a $100,000 gold medal — but for career-launching management contracts and international visibility. Past competitions have been broadcast to millions; the 2022 event was streamed over 60 million times in 177 countries. This year promises to be just as electric — and now, even more accessible.
It’s not just about pageantry, either. With jurors like Paul Lewis, Mari Kodama, and Gabriela Montero, the 2025 jury reads like a who’s who of global piano greats. And thanks to partners like the Apple TV app, Prime Video Channels, and more, Carnegie Hall+ makes it easy to experience the magic from anywhere, for $7.99 a month.
For the Cliburn, which has poured its soul into honoring artistry since 1962, this partnership is more than distribution—it’s amplification. And for the rest of us, it’s a front-row seat to greatness, no matter where we call home.
To learn more about the 2025 Cliburn Competition, visit cliburn.org. To subscribe to Carnegie Hall+, visit carnegiehallplus.com.
