The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition begins tomorrow in Fort Worth, bringing 30 pianists from 14 countries together at Bass Performance Hall. The competition, called at various times the “most prestigious” and “most important” piano competition in the world, among other superlatives, is a major stage for these young pianists, and also makes for one heck of a show.
If you have even a passing interest in classical music, or music at all, for that matter, it’s worth seeing. If you can’t make it out to Bass Performance Hall to catch any of the action live, the Van Cliburn’s website has partnered with the classical music internet channel medici.tv to host a webcast streaming live performances, interviews with competitors, and other footage from the competition. The webcast goes live in a little more than a day.
The finals, on June 10, will also be broadcast live in movie theaters around the country, including the Cinemark 17 in Dallas, the Galaxy 10 in Dallas, the Tinseltown USA in Plano, and the UA Fossil Creek in Fort Worth.
Preliminary rounds begin tomorrow and the competition concludes June 10.