Come fall, Fort Worth once again turns into a piano town

KERA | By Emilio Alvarez

Published July 14, 2026 at 2:01 PM CDT

A black grand piano sits on an empty stage.

The Cliburn is best known for the international piano competition it hosts every four years in Fort Worth. But it's not always about the medals.
WRR Classical music director and host Emilio Alvarez previews the upcoming season of Cliburn concerts.

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Emilio Alvarez

Emilio Alvarez comes to WRR after working five years at KMFA in Austin, and KRTU in San Antonio before that. Detours in his career have found him flying aerial cameras for events ranging from The Superbowl, to Fixer Upper, to Paul McCartney concerts and engineering audio for music festivals. He is a life-long cellist, a taco and mezcal connoisseur, and an amateur ceramicist. He and his daughter enjoy camping, skateboarding, and baking delicious treats.
Emilio brings a community-minded focus to WRR. His mission is to support the arts and culture of our city through music.

See stories by Emilio Alvarez