Van Cliburn

An Israeli/Russian took silver and a Minnesotan won bronze in the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Bananas are everywhere at the Cliburn. Crates of the fruit are housed in the organization’s office in downtown Fort Worth, and visitors might occasionally spot a bunch on staffers’ desks.

Not only was Lim lauded for his viral final concerto of Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30” at Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth, he was celebrated for becoming the youngest pianist to win the top prize.

Some of the world’s best pianists between the ages of 18 and 30 soon will play their first notes in Fort Worth in hopes of securing a spot in the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

In their first year serving as a host family for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jeff and Rosemary Detweiler got lucky: They were matched with Yunchan Lim.

Because the Dallas contest packs so much piano playing, fun and educational events into more than a week, organizers - and participants - call it a festival.

Once every four years, in this case five because of the pandemic, people from all over, who hire classical music pianists, head to Fort Worth during the Cliburn International Piano competition. They’re listening to up-and-coming artists who might fit into their organization’s future concert schedules.

Thirty young pianists compete for cash and professional management that can establish careers.

The Cliburn Foundation commissioned Austin-based muralist DAAS to do his first Fort Worth piece. His murals can be found all over the world.

Finalists represent 14 countries, including Russia, China and the U.S.

The Cliburn international piano competition takes pride in its focus on high-quality, musical performance — leaving everything else outside the concert hall. But the war in Ukraine invaded the Fort Worth contest this week. For some musicians, it's added a layer of tension that's difficult to imagine.