The Cliburn is pleased to affirm that the sixteenth edition of its flagship Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will be held entirely in person on June 2–18, 2022, at Bass Performance Hall and Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The Competition was previously slated for May 27–June 12, 2021.

Announced today, renowned pianist Paul Lewis, one of the leading musicians of his generation, will join the esteemed jury, chaired by conductor Marin Alsop. Complete jury information is below. Lewis replaces Gabriela Montero due to a scheduling conflict with the rescheduled Competition dates.

“One year from today, we will hear the first notes of the Sixteenth Cliburn Competition—a moment that will take on even greater significance next year than ever before,” said Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis. “What more meaningful way to emerge from the global pandemic than to elevate art and the exceptional people who devote their lives to it? We will celebrate how music and the connection that it fosters between us are universally vital to the human experience. We call the top young pianists of the world to submit their applications, and we invite our friends to make plans now to join us in Fort Worth to experience this distinctive event firsthand. There’s nothing like it.”

Applications

Applications are open at cliburn.org and are due October 14, 2021. The Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities. Applicants must have been born after June 12, 1990, and on or before June 2, 2004.

Ticket information

Our premium subscription packages are on sale now. Additional subscription options will be available at the end of June 2021. Single ticket purchases will be available in September 2021.

Please visit cliburn.org/2022ticketpolicy for complete information.

2022 CLIBURN IMPORTANT DATES

               October 14, 2021           Application submission deadline

               March 6–12, 2022         Screening Auditions*

               March 30, 2022             Announcement of competitors to the public

               June 2, 2022                 Competition begins

               June 18, 2022               Awards ceremony

*For the first time, the Screening Auditions will be held in the Cliburn’s hometown, Fort Worth, Texas. Seventy-two applicants will be chosen to perform a 25-minute recital in front of a live audience and the Screening Jury. From those, 30 will be selected to return to Fort Worth in June to compete.

2022 CLIBURN COMPETITION SCHEDULE

OPENING DINNER & DRAW PARTY
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 I 7:00 p.m.
Hilton Fort Worth Grand Crystal Ballroom

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Thursday, June 2 – Saturday, June 4, 2022
10:00 a.m. I 2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU

QUARTERFINAL ROUND
Sunday, June 5 – Monday, June 6, 2022
10:00 a.m. I 2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU

SEMIFINAL ROUND
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 9 – Sunday, June 12, 2022
2:30 p.m. I 7:30 p.m. daily
Bass Performance Hall

FINAL ROUND
Tuesday, June 14 – Wednesday, June 15, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 17, 2022 I 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 3:00 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

AWARDS CEREMONY
Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 7:00 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall

Closing

Saturday, June 18, 2022 I 8:00 p.m.

2022 Cliburn Competition jury

The Cliburn proudly presents the jury for the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Marin Alsop, jury chairman (United States), Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (France), Rico Gulda (Austria), Andreas Haefliger (Switzerland), Wu Han (Taiwan/United States), Stephen Hough (United Kingdom), Anne-Marie McDermott (United States), Paul Lewis (United Kingdom), Orli Shaham (Israel/United States), and Lilya Zilberstein (Russia). The assembled jury—nine of whom are new to the Cliburn Competition—represents some of the most prominent voices in piano today, whose active careers and exceptional artistry continue to help shape the landscape of classical music.

For biographies, please click here.

ABOUT PAUL LEWIS

Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. His cycles of core piano works by Beethoven and Schubert have received unanimous critical and public acclaim worldwide, and consolidated his reputation as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the central European classical repertoire. His numerous awards have included the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year, two Edison awards, three Gramophone awards, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, and the South Bank Show Classical Music award. He holds honorary degrees from Liverpool, Edge Hill, and Southampton Universities, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

He works regularly as soloist with the world’s great orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw, Cleveland, Tonhalle Zurich, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philharmonia, and Mahler Chamber Orchestras.

Screening jury

The five-member screening jury comprises of Angela Cheng (Canada), Arnaldo Cohen (Brazil), Christopher Elton (United Kingdom), Alexander Kobrin (Russia), and Anton Nel (South Africa/United States). All members of the panel combine distinguished performance careers with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists. The screening jury will travel to Fort Worth, Texas in March 2022 to select the 30 competitors from a pool of 72 applicants.

For biographies, please click here.

2022 Cliburn Competition venues

The Cliburn is pleased to return to its original home on the campus of TCU and will host the Preliminary and Quarterfinal Rounds at the university’s new 700-seat Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, fittingly named to honor our inspiration and namesake. The Semifinal and Final Rounds will again be held in Bass Performance Hall, the Cliburn’s home since 2001 and downtown Fort Worth’s 2042-seat stunning cultural jewel.