“Established in 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is widely-recognized as “one of the world’s highest-visibility classical-music contests” and remains committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of young pianists and sharing the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience. The Fourteenth Cliburn Competition, held May 24–June 9, 2013, in Fort Worth, Texas, welcomed 30 competitors, aged 19–30 and representing 13 nations. Beyond the over 40,000 who enjoyed the Competition in person at Bass Performance Hall, the fully-produced webcast streamed over 13 million minutes of video to more than 170,000 unique viewers in 155 countries.
In addition to cash and other prizes, the six winners of the competition receive three years of commission-free career management, with the Cliburn arranging and providing full artist services for hundreds of engagements. Extensive media coverage for the winners is generated through a documentary, national and international radio broadcasts, publicity efforts with media worldwide, and recordings with label harmonia mundi usa.
In January 2014, it announced the inaugural Cliburn International Junior Competition and Festival, to be held June 21–28, 2015, on the campus of TCU. A field of 24 of the finest pianists aged 13–17 will be chosen to compete as well as to participate in symposia, seminars, chamber music collaboration, and community performances. Applications will be available beginning April 1, 2014.