FORT WORTH, Texas, November 2, 2021 – Applications are in for the sixteenth edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—taking place June 2–18, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas USA—and the pool represents the largest and most diverse in the organization’s 60-year history. The Cliburn received 388 applications, a 34% increase over the last edition in 2017, from pianists hailing from 51 countries.
“Following the vision of Van Cliburn, the Cliburn Competition serves two mandates: to constantly grow the international fanbase for classical music, and to discover and support the best-of-the-best young pianists,” said Jacques Marquis, president and CEO. “This excellent application response is a testament to the artform’s vibrancy; it is our job now to manage the selection process carefully, as our experts determine the 30 who will be invited to Fort Worth in June. With this level of geographic representation and, particularly, after the global challenges of the past two years, the Competition will be a truly extraordinary celebration of the resiliency of the human spirit and of the power of music.”
APPLICANT FACTS
- Ages 18 to 31 (as of Competition dates) *
- 277 men, 110 women, 1 non-binary
- 51 nations comprising 6 continents represented
- Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czechia, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
- Most represented: China (77), South Korea (60), United States (51), Russia (43)
*An extra year of eligibility was added to the Cliburn’s normal age range of 18–30 due to the pandemic-related one-year postponement.
DOWNLOADABLE PHOTOS & GRAPHICS
- Cliburn Competition Select Photos
- 2022 Cliburn Competition – Applicant Infographics
- 2022 Cliburn Competition – Venues
- 2022 Cliburn Competition – Jury
SELECTION PROCESS – What’s Next
- Applications were due October 14, 2021, and included performance videos, musician references, press reviews, concert history, and personal statements.
- Now through January: a pre-screening jury reviews all applications and selects approximately 135 pianists to move on. From those, the members of the Screening Auditions Jury (listed below) select 72 pianists they would like to hear perform during the live Screening Auditions. (Schedule to be announced January 27, 2022.)
- March 6–12, 2022: Screening Auditions
- 72 pianists perform 25-minute recitals
- PepsiCo Recital Hall at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas USA
- Five-member Screening Auditions Jury: Angela Cheng (Canada), Arnaldo Cohen (Brazil), Christopher Elton (United Kingdom), Alexander Kobrin (Russia/United States), and Anton Nel (South Africa/United States). Click for biographies. Click for hi-res photos.
- Pianist travel and lodging are arranged for and covered by the Cliburn.
- Screening Auditions are open to the public and are free to attend.
- March 30, 2022: Announcement of 30 competitors selected to compete in the Competition
- May 29, 2022: Competitors return to Fort Worth
- June 2–6, 2022: Preliminary (30 competitors) & Quarterfinal (18 competitors) Rounds at the new Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU
- June 8–18, 2022: Semifinal (12 competitors) & Final (6 competitors) Rounds at Bass Performance Hall
- June 18, 2022: Awards Ceremony, announcement of gold, silver, bronze medalists + special awards; cash prizes total $265,000; medalists also win career management packages worth a total of over $1 million.
ABOUT THE SIXTEENTH 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. Building on a rich tradition that began with its 1962 origins in honor of Van Cliburn and his vision for using music to serve audiences and break down boundaries, the Cliburn seeks, with each edition, to achieve the highest artistic standards while utilizing contemporary tools to advance its reach. The world’s top young pianists compete for gold in front of a live audience in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as a global online viewership of more than 10 million. Beyond cash prizes, winning a Cliburn medal means comprehensive career management, artistic support, and bolstered publicity efforts for the three years following. Click for a selection of Cliburn Competition photos.
COMPETITION JURY
Click for biographies. Click for hi-res photos.
- 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)
- Lilya Zilberstein (Russia)
TICKETS
There is nothing like hearing, seeing, and feeling live music in an energetic, packed concert hall. Add to that the unmatched exhilaration of being there to cheer on 30 of the world’s top emerging pianists as they strive to perform their best on an enormous world stage, in hopes of launching international careers. It’s been 60 years since the first notes of the Cliburn Competition were played in Fort Worth, Texas. And the world will once again be attentively listening.
All tickets for individual concerts are on sale now, as are a variety of subscription options. Full information at cliburn.org/2022-tickets.
The health and safety of our patrons is of the utmost importance to the Cliburn. We will communicate any pandemic-related protocols to patrons closer to the Competition and will post updates at cliburn.org/concertsafety.
WEBCAST
As it has been since 2001, the entire Competition will be webcast live for a vast international audience. Many exciting details will be announced in the coming months, but this online event promises to be one of the most-watched, highest-quality, well-produced in classical music history. Stay tuned!
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 (sixteenth edition, June 2-18, 2022) 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 (third edition, June 2023) for exceptional 13- to 17-year-old pianists and the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition (eighth edition, October 12-18, 2022) 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
