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by Wah Keung Chan and Adrian Rodriguez
Jacques Marquis, president and CEO of The Cliburn, has become a transformative force in the world of international piano competitions. With a dynamic background in fundraising, management, and artistic direction, Marquis’s leadership has taken The Cliburn to unprecedented levels of visibility and influence.
Born and trained in piano in Montreal, Marquis shifted gears to study business at HEC and UQAM. His seven years as COO at Orchestre Métropolitain under board chairs Pierre Péladeau and Jean-Pierre Goyer, and artistic directors Agnes Grossman, Joseph Rescigno and Yannick Nézet-Seguin, provided him a great starting point.
“Orchestras are a very good way to learn, because they’re so big and important,” Marquis says. This foundational experience set the stage for his next major role in 2002 as executive and artistic director of Jeunesses Musicales Canada where he managed not only concerts across nine provinces, but also oversaw the competition and foundation.
Supported by trusted colleagues André Bourbeau (the political strategist and cofounder of CMIM) and Joseph Rouleau (the legendary Canadian operatic bass and “the heart of the Jeunesses musicales organization”), Marquis thrived, juggling multiple responsibilities and building coherent strategies.
“I came to Jeunesses Musicales a few months before the first CMIM competition, so we had three things going on at the same time,” said Marquis. “We grew them all together and, by the end, it was pretty substantial. I left in 2012 after the competition where Philippe Sly won. I felt I had done what I needed to do. I’d been there for 11 years and organized 11 competitions. I brought Jeunesses Musicales, the competition and the foundation, to a certain level and I was looking for new challenges.” When he left, the board needed to replace him with three different people.
In 2013, Marquis became the president and CEO of The Cliburn in Fort Worth, Texas. Under his leadership, The Cliburn evolved from a respected American competition into a globally recognized brand. He was instrumental in leveraging technology, partnering with Medici.tv, Amedias in China, and KBS in South Korea to expand webcasts from half a million viewers in 2013 to 60 million in 2022.
“My intention was to have better representation internationally for The Cliburn, because it was perceived as being a more American-oriented competition, and the webcast was the best way to achieve that. We also did documentaries. And now we’re launching a CD of the last competition,” the innovator confided. “We have a partnership with Apple, and others. We’re always aiming to increase the streaming and the awareness of The Cliburn.”
Marquis’s vision does not stop at digital reach. He launched The Cliburn Junior competition in 2015, which has become a magnet for the most talented young pianists worldwide. “The Junior competition is crazy,” he enthuses. “(The competitors) are so talented; they are so good.” Winners like Alim Beisembayev and Clayton Stephenson are proof of this, very quickly gaining international recognition.
Marquis also expanded The Cliburn’s footprint through initiatives like the Cliburn Amateur Competition, family concerts, education programs with more than 300 school performances, expansion to Dallas for the next Cliburn Juniors, and a unique bar series that brings classical music to unconventional venues.
A key component of Marquis’s strategy has been robust fundraising. “In Texas, the president and CEO is fundamentally a fundraiser. They’ll love you as long as you raise money. People from both North and South Texas are entrepreneurial. They always have ideas and want to bring new concepts to life,” he says.
“One of the first things we did was the simulcast of the finals. The finals are always sold out … so we set up a big screen at the Sundance Square Plaza in Fort Worth and did a simulcast, inviting the entire city to come. Families and friends showed up to listen to Rachmaninoff’s Third and Tchaikovsky on the big plaza. I found funding because someone said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. I love that idea.’ If you come up with good ideas, they’ll support you.”
Marquis’s creation of The Cliburn Agency is another example of his innovative approach. It offers artist management, recording deals, media training, and career development. “The agency… You know, what is an agency first? What are they doing? They take artists on the roster, and they book them in concerts, and they take 20 per cent of their fees,” he says. “We’re doing the agency work for the winners. But we don’t charge them 20 per cent. We do that as part of the prize.” Marquis currently has about eight musicians on his roster.
With a strong board of directors who have been by his side for more than a decade, Jacques Marquis continues to push boundaries. “It’s a team effort, and we’re focused on a good mission,” he says. “Van Cliburn was a beloved figure here in Fort Worth, and when the competition started he had two main goals: to share classical music with the largest possible audience, and to help young musicians. That’s still our focus today.”
The Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, with Paul Lewis serving as jury chairman, will take place May 21–June 7, 2025, at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU and Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. www.cliburn.org
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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