Appearing on PBS this month is the documentary from the 13th Piano competition A Surprise in Texas. I was the assistant conductor for the finals and took my Zoom H2 mike and recorded some fascinating behind the scenes audio with some of the major players including an in depth interview with conductor James Conlon and [...]
Tag Archives | Cliburn Gold Medalist
The New Golden Age – Defending the Jury pt. 2
With so much attention being paid to Tsujii (including from me) I wanted to be sure to not overlook the other gold medalist Haochen Zhang, his extraordinary ability and unbelievable upside potential. If not breaking barriers like Tsujii he certainly dispelled a myth and if some feel that the jury took a chance with him, [...]
Cliburn: Striking Human Gold! – Defending the Jury part 1
There are so many things people are hoping for in the winner of the Cliburn. Every 4 years this veritable Piano Olympiad usually picks a winner who possesses pure virtuosity, stage presence and superb musicianship. Expectations are high for the Pianists and the pressure is intense to say the least. This year was different and [...]
Cliburn: An article beyond the pale…poison Iv(r)y
Just how far behind the times is the Wall Street Journal’s Benjamin Ivry? Close to 10 years, and bravo (not!) to him for proclaiming that the blind should not be allowed to play concertos, so does he have a problem with the deaf writing music also? You have to read his article to believe it…
Cliburn Soundoff! – It’s OVER – wrap with James and wild closing!
I wanted to post Monday, but it was such a blur! For the final post from this year’s Cliburn, I post the final two parts of my conversation with James Conlon, and I edited a two part audio clip of the closing ceremony complete with wild (and very frank) opinions, Van speaking, the awarding of [...]
Cliburn Soundoff! – Conlon Pt.3/Comparison/FWSO/Tsujii speaks/Cliburn trail
Today is the big day, one more recital and two more concertos, and then the big announcement! Bob Schieffer will speak at the closing ceremony and then off to the Worthington for the party! Today James Conlon talks about the growth of the competitors throughout the week (mentions some surprises), I compare the same excerpts [...]