The Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has begun, with 133 pianists from 35 countries participating in screening auditions from January 5 to February 22 in Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the U.S. The auditions are free and open to the public and feature applicants performing 40-minute recitals of repertoire of their own choosing before a live audience and a five-member jury. Conductor John Giordano chairs the jury, which also includes music critic Richard Dyer and pianists Andrea Bonatta, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Blanca Uribe. In March, 30 pianists will be selected to perform in the competition, from May 24 to June 9 at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. Among the performers at the competition will be the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, led by Leonard Slatkin, and the Brentano String Quartet, which will perform a piano quintet with each of the twelve semifinalists. For more details on the competition, visit Cliburn.org.
Posted January 31, 2013
