Some of the world鈥檚 best pianists between the ages of 18 and 30 soon will play their first notes in Fort Worth in hopes of securing a spot in the .
The Cliburn announced in late January that 77 pianists 鈥� representing over 20 countries 鈥� were selected from an international pool of 340 applicants to participate in live screening auditions from March 16-22. The auditions will be held at the PepsiCo Recital Hall at Texas Christian University and are free for the public to attend. Each pianist will perform a 25-minute recital.
Countries and regions represented include Austria, Canada, China, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States.
Jacques Marquis, president and CEO of the Cliburn, said it鈥檚 important to make the auditions free and accessible to foster a connection between young artists and the audience.
鈥淭he Cliburn has always been following these two things. First, helping young musicians to get into the career. Second, is to share classical music with the larger audience,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he screening auditions in Fort Worth is an occasion to bring your friends and family and see the top young pianists.鈥�
Live auditions also allow judges to see how competitors handle performing live in front of a large crowd, Marquis said.
The will select 30 pianists to compete in the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition from May 21 to June 7.
If you go:
What: 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition screening auditions
When: 2:30-9:30 p.m. March 16; 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. March 17-22
Where: PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU, 2800 S. University Drive, Fort Worth
Admission: . Attendees must be 10 years of age or older.
The Cliburn, established in Fort Worth in 1962, is held every four years and considered one of the most prestigious classical music competitions in the world. The competition was founded to at the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
The 16th iteration of the competition was postponed from 2021 to 2022 because of COVID-19. At age 18, South Korean pianist became the youngest musician ever in the competition鈥檚 to win first place.
The first two rounds of the 2025 competition will be held at the at TCU before concluding at Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth.
Breakdown of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition:
May 21-23: Preliminary round where 30 competitors perform a 40-minute recital
May 24-25: Quarterfinal round where 18 competitors perform a 40-minute recital
May 28-June 1: Semifinal round where 12 competitors perform in two phases:
- 60-minute recital
- A Mozart concerto with Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
June 3-7: Final round where six competitors perform two concertos with American conductor Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
The three pianists that take home gold, silver and bronze will have their careers managed through the Cliburn, which ranges from booking concerts to mentorship and media training.
鈥淭his is the highest level of competition you can find,鈥� Marquis said. 鈥淵ou have the best of the best coming from all over the world and we鈥檙e lucky to have that here in Fort Worth.鈥�
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or .
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