The Van Cliburn Foundation hosted its sixth
International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs™
May 23-29, 2011 in Fort Worth, TX. Established in 1999, the
competition was the first of its kind in the United States and
celebrates the importance of music-making as a vital part of daily
life. The competition is open to pianists age 35 and older who do
not derive their principal source of income through piano
performance or instruction. Over the course of the week, these
talented musicians competed in three elimination rounds, have
opportunities to explore chamber music works with professional
musicians, and participate in symposia and other social events.
In 2011, the Amateur Competition brought together a diverse
group of 72 of the
world's finest non-professional pianists. Competitors were
judged by a jury of
distinguished performers and scholars, and by a press jury
comprised of some of the nation's foremost music critics.
All performances took place at Ed Landreth Auditorium on the
campus of Texas Christian University and were open to the
public.
Preliminary Round (May 23, 24, 25)
72 competitors each present a program between 10 and 12 minutes
in length.
Semifinal Round (May 27, 28)
25 semifinalists each present a program between 16 and 20
minutes in length:
Semifinalists
Daniel Bertram
J. Michael Brounoff
Mark Cannon
Barry Coutinho
Darlene Cusick
Andrea De Tomas
Pablo Eizayaga
Jun Fujimoto
Mark Fuller
Clark Griffith
Martha Chestnut Hartman
Ken Iisaka
Jane Gibson King
Iona Luke
Thomas A. Maurice
Joseph Mercuri
Valentina Rodov
Christopher Sarzynski
Christopher Shih
Vincent J. Schmithorst
Dominic Piers Smith
Madalyn Bingham Taylor
Angela Lee Tien
Eberhard Zagrosek
Jorge Zamora
And the Fort Worth Piano Teachers Forum presented their special
award to Clark Griffith.
Final Round (May 29)
Six finalists each present a program between 25 and 30 minutes
in length:
Finalists
Barry Coutinho
Clark Griffith
Ken Iisaka
Jane Gibson King
Christopher Shih
Dominic Piers Smith
Awards
Richard Rodzinski First Prize Award:
CHRISTOPHER SHIH
$2,000 cash
Second Prize: CLARK GRIFFTH
$1,500 cash
Third Prize: BARRY COUTINHO
$1,000 cash
Jury Discretionary Awards: LESLIE MYRICK and
DAVID HIBBARD
$250 cash each
Press Jury Award: JANE GIBSON KING
Western hat, donated by Peters Bros. Hats
Audience Award: CHRISTOPHER SHIH
Box set collection of 10 Cliburn documentary films
Best Performance of a Work from the Baroque Era:
CLARK GRIFFITH
$250 cash
Best Performance of a Work from the Classical
Era: JUN FUJIMOTO
$250 cash
Best Performance of a Work from the Romantic Era:
CHRISTOPHER SHIH
$250 cash
Best Performance of a Post-Romantic Work:
BARRY COUTINHO
$250 cash
Most Creative Programming Award: CLARK
GRIFFITH
$250 cash
