Today is the final day for the semifinal round of the Cliburn Competition. One American remains among the twelve semifinalists, along with one from Ukraine, two from Russia and one from Belarus, four South Koreans, one pianist each from Japan and China, and one from France and China.
The competition is named for the American pianist Van Cliburn, who won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, during the Cold War. As an article in the New York Times reports, Van Cliburn’s victory “was seen as a sign that art could transcend politics,” and so this year its organizers felt it appropriate to invite participants from Russia and its ally Belarus, despite pressure to exclude their participation. Many of the Russian participants live outside Russia and some have expressed opposition to the war. Russian pianist Ilya Shmukler, 27, is reported to have said he that at times felt guilty about the invasion: “The key words for me,” he said, “are shame and responsibility.”
According to the Fort Worth-based website Culture Map, 28-year-old Ukrainian Dmytro Choni and 23-year-old American Clayton Stephenson are audience favorites. Only one woman advanced to this round, Russian Anna Geniushene, who lives in Lithuania. The Times reported that in order to prepare for performing a series of Brahms Ballades, “she said… she thought of suffering in Ukraine.”
Profiles of each participant and links to performances posted to YouTube are available on the Cliburn website (below).
Six finalists will be announced later today, with final round performances beginning on Tuesday, June 14.
Links:
Russian and Ukrainian Pianists Meet in Texas at Cliburn Competition (NY Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/arts/music/cliburn-piano-competition-texas-ukraine-war.html
12 semifinalists make the cut in 2022 Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth (Culture Map) https://fortworth.culturemap.com/news/arts/06-06-22-12-semifinalists-van-cliburn-international-piano-competition-bass-hall-fwso-nicholas-mcgegan/#slide=0
The Cliburn 2022 (includes live performances, competition schedules, & links to profiles) https://cliburn.org/