2005 Gold Medalist, Alexander Kobrin 

The 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will begin on May 22 in Fort Worth, Texas. Described by the Chicago Tribune as "the most prestigious classical piano contest in the world," the Cliburn, which began in 1962 and is held quadrennially, will bring 29 pianists from 14 countries to perform in the acoustically resplendent Bass Performance Hall.  

 Bass Performance Hall

Last spring, from an initial applicant pool of 225 pianists, 150 were invited to audition for the competition. The auditions were held in St. Petersburg, Russia; Shanghai, China; Hannover, Germany; Logano, Switzerland; New York, New York; and Fort Worth, Texas. Thirty pianists were chosen to compete in Fort Worth. (One has withdrawn due to a hand injury). They range in age from 19 to 30, and represent 14 countries: Australia (1), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), China (6), Czech Republic (1), Germany (1), Greece (1), Israel (2), Italy (2), Japan (3), Korea (4), Russia (2), Ukraine (1), and the United States (5).  

2005 Silver Medalist, Joyce Yang 

Each contestant (14 women and 15 men) will perform a 50-minute solo recital in the preliminary round. The twelve semifinalists will each play a piano quintet with the renowned Takács Quartet and give a 60-minute solo recital that includes a contemporary piece from the Cliburn's 3rd American Composers Invitational.

 Takács Quartet

Six finalists will be chosen. Each will give a 50-minute recital and perform two piano concerti with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro James Conlon. Over the next three years, the finalists will give more than 300 concerts worldwide. 

 Maestro James Conlon

The medalists will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on June 7.  The 17-day competition will be webcast live, starting May 22. To join in the festivities, visit www.cliburn.org and www.cliburn.tv