FORT WORTH, Texas, October 4, 2021—Applications for the sixteenth edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, taking place June 2–18, 2022, at Bass Performance Hall and Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, are due on Thursday, October 14, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CT. Applicants, age 18 to 31, must be born after June 12, 1990, and on or before June 2, 2004. An extra year of eligibility has been added, due to the pandemic-related postponement from 2021. Visit https://cliburn.org/2022-
Announced today, renowned pianist Alessio Bax will join the esteemed jury, chaired by conductor Marin Alsop. Complete jury information is below. Bax replaces Paul Lewis due to a scheduling conflict with the rescheduled Competition dates.
“In just eight months, we will hear the first notes of the Sixteenth Cliburn Competition—a moment that will take on even greater significance next year than ever before,” said Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis. “What more meaningful way to emerge from the global pandemic than to elevate art and the exceptional people who devote their lives to it? We will celebrate how music and the connection that it fosters between us are universally vital to the human experience. We call the top young pianists of the world to submit their applications, and we invite our friends to make plans now to join us in Fort Worth to experience this distinctive event firsthand. There’s nothing like it.”
TICKET INFORMATION
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Earlier than ever before, individual tickets are available for every performance. Patrons can choose from all Preliminary ($10-$30), Quarterfinal ($15-$35), Semifinal ($30-$125), and Final Round ($55-$225) concerts. All tickets are now on sale at Cliburn.org/2022-tickets.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
PREMIUM
Get the ultimate Competition experience with a Platinum or Golden Circle Complete or Semifinal and Final Round Only Subscription. Receive exclusive access to the Opening Dinner & Draw Party, the premium Lounge, and the Closing Reception, in addition to securing the best seats in the house. Premium subscriptions are available in Platinum Circle Box Tier, Platinum Circle Orchestra, and Golden Circle Orchestra levels. Click here to see all Platinum and Golden Circle benefits.
COMPLETE
Witness the entire Competition, from the first notes to the last, with this subscription that includes all four competition rounds. Enjoy both solo recitals and concertos with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Available at the Mezzanine and Gallery levels.
INDIVIDUAL ROUNDS
Make plans to attend the Preliminary or Quarterfinal Round concerts at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU. Or select the Semifinal Round at Bass Performance Hall to hear each semifinalist perform a recital, as well as a Mozart concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and famed conductor Nicholas McGegan. Available in the Preferred Orchestra, Orchestra I and II, Mezzanine, and Gallery levels.
Complete ticket information can be found at Cliburn.org/2022-tickets.
For the 2022 Cliburn Competition ticket policy, visit cliburn.org/
2022 CLIBURN IMPORTANT DATES
October 14, 2021 Application submission deadline
March 6–12, 2022 Screening Auditions*
March 30, 2022 Announcement of competitors to the public
June 2, 2022 Competition begins
June 18, 2022 Awards ceremony
*For the first time, the Screening Auditions will be held in the Cliburn’s hometown, Fort Worth, Texas. Seventy-two applicants will be chosen to perform a 25-minute recital in front of a live audience and the Screening Jury. From those, 30 will be selected to return to Fort Worth in June to compete.
2022 CLIBURN COMPETITION SCHEDULE
OPENING DINNER & DRAW PARTY
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 I 7:00 p.m.
Hilton Fort Worth Grand Crystal Ballroom
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Thursday, June 2 – Saturday, June 4, 2022
10:00 a.m. I 2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU
QUARTERFINAL ROUND
Sunday, June 5 – Monday, June 6, 2022
10:00 a.m. I 2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU
SEMIFINAL ROUND
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 9 – Sunday, June 12, 2022
2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Bass Performance Hall
FINAL ROUND
Tuesday, June 14 – Wednesday, June 15, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 17, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 3:00 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall
AWARDS CEREMONY
Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 7:00 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall
CLOSING RECEPTION
Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 8:00 p.m.
2022 CLIBURN COMPETITION JURY
The Cliburn proudly presents the jury for the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Marin Alsop, jury chairman (United States), Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (France), Alessio Bax (Italy), Rico Gulda (Austria), Andreas Haefliger (Switzerland), Wu Han (Taiwan/United States), Stephen Hough (United Kingdom), Anne-Marie McDermott (United States), Orli Shaham (Israel/United States), and Lilya Zilberstein (Russia). The assembled jury—nine of whom are new to the Cliburn Competition—represents some of the most prominent voices in piano today, whose active careers and exceptional artistry continue to help shape the landscape of classical music.
For biographies, please click here.
ABOUT ALESSIO BAX
Combining exceptional lyricism and insight with consummate technique, Alessio Bax is without a doubt “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone). He catapulted to prominence with First Prize wins at both the Leeds and Hamamatsu International Piano Competitions, and is now a familiar face on five continents, not only as a recitalist and chamber musician, but also as a concerto soloist who has appeared with more than 150 orchestras, including the London, Royal, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Boston, Dallas, Cincinnati, Sydney, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, and the NHK Symphony in Japan, collaborating with such eminent conductors as Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Fabio Luisi, Sir Simon Rattle, Yuri Temirkanov, and Jaap van Zweden.
Bax constantly explores many facets of his career. He released his eleventh Signum Classics album, Italian Inspirations, whose program was also the vehicle for his solo recital debut at New York’s 92nd Street Y as well as on tour. He recently embarked on a trio tour of Spain with violinist Joshua Bell and cellist Steven Isserlis. Bax and his regular piano duo partner, Lucille Chung, gave recitals at New York’s Lincoln Center and were featured with the St. Louis Symphony and Stéphane Denève. He has also presented the complete works of Beethoven for cello and piano with cellist Paul Watkins in New York City.
Next season he will make his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony, performing Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto and will return for the fourth time for two recitals at the historic Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. This past summer was highlighted by his fifth season as Artistic Director of Tuscany’s Incontri in Terra di Siena festival as well as return appearances at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with the Dallas Symphony and Fabio Luisi conducting.
Bax revisited Mozart’s K. 491 and K. 595 concertos, as heard on Alessio Bax Plays Mozart, for his recent debuts with the Boston and Melbourne Symphonies, both with Sir Andrew Davis, and with the Sydney Symphony, which he led himself from the keyboard. Other recent highlights include the pianist’s Auckland Philharmonia debut, concerts in Israel, a Japanese tour featuring dates with the Tokyo Symphony, a U.S. tour with flutist Emmanuel Pahud and an Asian tour with Daishin Kashimoto. Recent seasons also saw Bax make his solo recital debut at London’s Wigmore Hall, and give concerts at L.A.’s Disney Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 2009, he was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and four years later he received both the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award and the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists.
Bax’s celebrated Signum Classics discography includes Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” and “Moonlight” Sonatas (a Gramophone “Editor’s Choice”); Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto; Bax & Chung, a duo disc with Lucille Chung; Alessio Bax plays Mozart, recorded with London’s Southbank Sinfonia; Alessio Bax: Scriabin & Mussorgsky (named “Recording of the Month … and quite possibly … of the year” by MusicWeb International); Alessio Bax plays Brahms (a Gramophone “Critics’ Choice”); Bach Transcribed; and Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies (an American Record Guide “Critics’ Choice 2011”). Recorded for Warner Classics, his Baroque Reflections album was also a Gramophone “Editor’s Choice.” He performed Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata for Daniel Barenboim in the PBS-TV documentary Barenboim on Beethoven: Masterclass, available on DVD from EMI.
At age 14, Bax graduated with top honors from the conservatory of Bari, his hometown in Italy, and after further studies in Europe, he moved to the United States in 1994. A Steinway artist, he lives in New York City with pianist Lucille Chung and their daughter, Mila. He was invited to join the piano faculty of Boston’s New England Conservatory in the fall of 2019.
For multimedia links, press materials and high-resolution photos, visit alessiobax.com, Alessio Bax | Arts Management Group, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
SCREENING JURY
The five-member screening jury comprises Angela Cheng (Canada), Arnaldo Cohen (Brazil), Christopher Elton (United Kingdom), Alexander Kobrin (Russia), and Anton Nel (South Africa/United States). All members of the panel combine distinguished performance careers with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists. The screening jury will travel to Fort Worth, Texas in March 2022 to select the 30 competitors from a pool of 72 applicants.
For biographies, please click here.
2022 CLIBURN COMPETITION VENUES
The Cliburn is pleased to return to its original home on the campus of TCU and will host the Preliminary and Quarterfinal Rounds at the university’s new 700-seat Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, fittingly named to honor our inspiration and namesake. The Semifinal and Final Rounds will again be held in Bass Performance Hall, the Cliburn’s home since 2001 and downtown Fort Worth’s 2042-seat stunning cultural jewel.
For more information on each venue, please click images.
ABOUT THE VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
Widely considered one of the preeminent international music contests, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition exists to share excellent classical music with the largest international audience possible and to launch the careers of its winners every four years. The world’s top pianists compete for gold in front of a live audience in Fort Worth, as well as a global online viewership of over 5 million. Beyond cash prizes, winning a Cliburn medal means comprehensive career management, artistic support, and bolstered publicity efforts for the three years following.
In the postponement to one year later, the venues, format, and other key elements have remained unchanged. Importantly, an additional year of eligibility was added for competitors. For this edition only, applicants may be 18 to 31 years of age (born after June 12, 1990, and on or before June 2, 2004). For more information on the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, click here.
ABOUT THE CLIBURN
The Cliburn advances classical piano music throughout the world. Its international competitions, education programs, and concert series embody an enduring commitment to artistic excellence and the discovery of new artists. Established in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition remains the most visible expression of that mission and is, as always, committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of emerging artists, ages 18–30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through fully produced webcasts and by providing comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Rounding out its mission, the Cliburn also produces the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival for exceptional 13- to 17-year-old pianists and the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition for outstanding non-professional pianists age 35 and older.
Over a four-year cycle, the Cliburn contributes to North Texas’ cultural landscape with over 170 classical music performances for 150,000 attendees through competitions, free community concerts, and its signature Cliburn Concerts series. It presents 1,000 Cliburn in the Classroom in-school, interactive music education programs for more than 200,000 area elementary students. During the same time period, it garners the world’s attention with over eight million visits from 170 nations for live concert and competition webcasts; 300 concerts worldwide booked for competition winners; more than 5,000 news articles about the Cliburn and its winners; and regular national radio broadcasts to 245 public radio stations. Cliburn.org
