Cliburn celebrates Cliburn

Van Cliburn

The Cliburn will host a digital concert on Sunday, June 12, 2020, at 2 p.m. CDT (U.S. Central) as a special celebration of its inspiration and namesake, Van Cliburn (the date marks his 86th birthday). Ten Cliburn laureates will offer tributes and short performances in honor of Mr. Cliburn:

          Ralph Votapek, 1962 gold, KAPUSTIN Paraphrase on “Aquarela do Brasil,” op. 118         
          Barry Douglas, 1985 bronze, RACHMANINOV Moment musical in D-flat Major, op. 16, no. 5         
          Jon Nakamatsu, 1997 gold, CHOPIN Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, op. 66         
          Philippe Bianconi, 1997 silver, DEBUSSY Étude pour les arpèges composes         
          Olga Kern, 2001 gold, CLARA SCHUMANN “Larghetto” from Quatre pièces fugitives, op. 15         
          Stanislav Ioudenitch, 2001 gold, 2001 gold, RACHMANINOV Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36 (III)         
          Alexander Kobrin, 2005 gold, BRAHMS Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2         
          Joyce Yang, 2005 silver, CHOPIN-LISZT “My Joys,” op. 74, no. 5    
          Vadym Kholodenko, 2013 gold, CHOPIN Nocturne in B Major, op. 62, no. 1   
          Sean Chen, 2013 bronze, STRAUSS-GODOWSKY “Ständchen”

The new video will be premiered on the Cliburn’s Facebook and YouTube at 2 p.m. CDT, then available afterwards on-demand on those channels, as well as IGTV and Cliburn.org.

In the words of the laureates: 

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“Our Van—such a colossus in the piano world. A passionate human being, decent, honest, full of fun and playfulness; a great supporter of young pianists, and always helping in any way he could.” (Douglas) 

“From Van I learned that it’s not necessarily the things you do onstage that are going to last, it’s the differences you make offstage—how you affect lives just by being who you are.” (Nakamatsu) 

“Everyone in the audience…felt this huge heart. He was not just a fantastic, incredible artist and musician and pianist, but also a great human being, a great person.” (Kern) 

“The art of Van Cliburn, his recordings, and the work of young artists he helped to support, continue to serve not only to heal our souls, but also to educate our minds.” (Ioudenitch)

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 We hope our Cliburn Family around the world will join us to celebrate this inimitable man, artist, and humanitarian.