January 8, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David Pogue, New York Times columnist and Emmy Award-winning
TV correspondent, to host February 11, 2009 special event kicking
off the Cliburn New York Screening Recitals at Rockefeller
University's Caspary Auditorium
Event includes New York premiere of the 2007 Amateur
Competition documentary, They Came To Play
FORT WORTH, TEXAS January 8, 2009-- Celebrated writer and TV
correspondent David Pogue will introduce the New York premiere of
the film They Came to Play--a feature-length documentary about the
Van Cliburn Foundation's 2007 International Piano Competition for
Outstanding Amateurs. This special screening in Caspary Auditorium
at New York City's Rockefeller University will precede a weeklong
series (February 12-18) of public piano performances as part of the
New York Screening Audition Recitals for the upcoming Thirteenth
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Cliburn 2009) on
Wednesday, February 11, 2009.
Mr. Pogue will also lead a panel discussion immediately
following the premiere. Among the guest speakers joining Mr. Pogue
on February 11 will be They Came To Play film producer Lori Miller
and the 2007 International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs first-prize winner.
DAVID POGUE
An admired journalist and award- winning TV commentator, Mr.
Pogue is a self- professed "music geek" who studied music and
computer science at Yale with early aspirations of becoming a
Broadway composer (he conducted and arranged Broadway musicals in
New York for ten years). As the personal-technology columnist for
the New York Times, he contributes a weekly print column, an online
column, and an online video. His daily blog, "Pogue's Posts," is
the Times' most popular blog. Mr. Pogue is also an Emmy
Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News and a frequent guest
on NPR's Morning Edition. His trademark comic tech videos appear
each Thursday morning on CNBC.
In addition to his journalistic work, David Pogue is one of
the world's best-selling how- to authors, with more than three
million books in print. He has written or co-written seven books in
the for Dummies series, including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical
Music. In 1999, Mr. Pogue launched his own series of humorous
computer books, titled the Missing Manual series, which now
includes sixty titles. He has been profiled on both 48 Hours and 60
Minutes.
THEY CAME TO PLAY
They Came to Play is an uplifting feature-length documentary
chronicling the International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs, a quadrennial event hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation
in Fort Worth, Texas. Amateur pianists from all over the world,
ranging from self-taught to classically trained, aged thirty-five
to almost eighty, convene in Fort Worth, Texas, for a week of
competition, music, and camaraderie. Over three increasingly
competitive elimination rounds, seventy-five amateur pianists
endeavor to perform at near-professional levels before an
internationally distinguished jury and discerning concert audience.
Entertaining and inspiring, the film provides an intimate look into
the diverse lives of several colorful and multi-talented
participants in the 2007 Amateur Competition as they strive to
balance the demands of work and family with their love of
music.
All of the film's heroes have made their careers outside of
music in fields ranging from medicine and business to professional
tennis and education. For competitors who have faced such
extraordinary challenges as drug addiction, AIDS, or political
asylum, the competition is also a triumph over adversity. For all,
it represents an overwhelming desire to express a deeper side of
themselves, musically and otherwise.
Commentary from noted American pianist Van Cliburn and several
gold medalists from the Foundation's professional competition,
along with excerpts from a treasure trove of great masterworks for
classical piano--from Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin to Rachmaninoff
and Barber-- enhance the fascinating portraits in this universally
appealing film.
They Came To Play premiered in Texas on October 16, 2008, at
the Fort Worth Lone Star International Film Festival, and in
Florida on October 25 at the 23rd Annual Fort Lauderdale
International Film Festival, where the film won the Audience
Award.
THE CLIBURN 2009
The road to the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition begins with the worldwide Screening Audition Recitals,
held throughout January and February 2009 in Shanghai, China;
Hannover, Germany; Lugano, Switzerland; St. Petersburg, Russia; New
York, New York; and Fort Worth, Texas.
Approximately 150 applicants between the ages of eighteen and
thirty will perform in the free and public concerts, which will
consist of a forty-minute program by each pianist. The recitals are
overseen by a distinguished five-member jury.
On March 5, 2009, the Foundation will announce the names of
thirty pianists selected to participate in the Cliburn 2009.
The Cliburn 2009 will be held May 22- June 7, 2009, at Bass
Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. Winners will be announced at
the Awards Ceremony on June 7, at which time they will receive
medals from Van Cliburn himself. All six finalists of the
competition will receive a prize package offering three years of
managed concert tours with a combined total of more than 300
concert engagements, valued at over $1,000,000, as well as cash
awards and other prizes.
CASPARY AUDITORIUM AT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY Caspary
Auditorium at Rockefeller University is located at 1230 York Avenue
and East 66th Street in New York City. A fourteen-acre private
oasis at the edge of Manhattan's bustling Upper East Side with
breathtaking views of the East River and historic Queensboro
Bridge, Rockefeller University's campus is among the city's most
spectacular and soothing landscapes, and has been described by the
New York Times as "a musical composition of light, shadow and
shades of green." Caspary Auditorium, the university's main lecture
and performance space, is a one-of-a-kind domed auditorium with a
generous stage and finely tuned acoustics.
Caspary Auditorium is easily reached via bus, subway, or car.
Two buses stop near the main entrance: the York Avenue/57th Street
crosstown (M31) and the 68th Street crosstown (M66). By subway,
take the Lexington Avenue Local (No. 6) to the 68th Street and
Lexington Avenue Station and walk east. For those driving, the FDR
can be exited at 61st/63rd Street. The university's main entrance
is at 1230 York Avenue (at East 66th Street) on Manhattan's Upper
East Side. Parking is available at Greenberg Garage at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital (entrance at 68th Street, east of York
Avenue) or at Quick Park at 450 E. 63rd Street (between York and
1st Avenue).
The Van Cliburn Foundation gratefully acknowledges the
generosity of Rockefeller University in making this space available
for the 2009 New York Screening Audition Recitals and Opening
Event.
Please visit the Cliburn website for complete details on the
2009 Auditions, the Cliburn Competition, or to purchase ticket
subscriptions to the event.
The Cliburn 2009 Screening Audition Recitals are made possible
by ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor of the Van
Cliburn Foundation. American Airlines, Bank of America, City of
Fort Worth, JPMorgan Chase, Star-Telegram, Steinway & Sons, and
XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors, and Clear Channel
Communications and RadioShack Corporation are the Cliburn's
Corporate Sponsors. Official Sponsors are the Among G. Carter
Foundation, the Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County,
the Beaumont Foundation of America, the Burnett Foundation, and the
Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Star-Telegram is the principal media
partner and WRR 101.1 FM is the official radio station of Cliburn
Concerts.
Contact: Laura Grant
email: lgrant11@comcast.net
phone: 978.208.0552
web:
January 8, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David Pogue, New York Times columnist and Emmy Award-winning
TV correspondent, to host February 11, 2009 special event kicking
off the Cliburn New York Screening Recitals at Rockefeller
University's Caspary Auditorium
Event includes New York premiere of the 2007 Amateur
Competition documentary, They Came To Play
FORT WORTH, TEXAS January 8, 2009-- Celebrated writer and TV
correspondent David Pogue will introduce the New York premiere of
the film They Came to Play--a feature-length documentary about the
Van Cliburn Foundation's 2007 International Piano Competition for
Outstanding Amateurs. This special screening in Caspary Auditorium
at New York City's Rockefeller University will precede a weeklong
series (February 12-18) of public piano performances as part of the
New York Screening Audition Recitals for the upcoming Thirteenth
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Cliburn 2009) on
Wednesday, February 11, 2009.
Mr. Pogue will also lead a panel discussion immediately
following the premiere. Among the guest speakers joining Mr. Pogue
on February 11 will be They Came To Play film producer Lori Miller
and the 2007 International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs first-prize winner.
DAVID POGUE
An admired journalist and award- winning TV commentator, Mr.
Pogue is a self- professed "music geek" who studied music and
computer science at Yale with early aspirations of becoming a
Broadway composer (he conducted and arranged Broadway musicals in
New York for ten years). As the personal-technology columnist for
the New York Times, he contributes a weekly print column, an online
column, and an online video. His daily blog, "Pogue's Posts," is
the Times' most popular blog. Mr. Pogue is also an Emmy
Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News and a frequent guest
on NPR's Morning Edition. His trademark comic tech videos appear
each Thursday morning on CNBC.
In addition to his journalistic work, David Pogue is one of
the world's best-selling how- to authors, with more than three
million books in print. He has written or co-written seven books in
the for Dummies series, including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical
Music. In 1999, Mr. Pogue launched his own series of humorous
computer books, titled the Missing Manual series, which now
includes sixty titles. He has been profiled on both 48 Hours and 60
Minutes.
THEY CAME TO PLAY
They Came to Play is an uplifting feature-length documentary
chronicling the International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs, a quadrennial event hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation
in Fort Worth, Texas. Amateur pianists from all over the world,
ranging from self-taught to classically trained, aged thirty-five
to almost eighty, convene in Fort Worth, Texas, for a week of
competition, music, and camaraderie. Over three increasingly
competitive elimination rounds, seventy-five amateur pianists
endeavor to perform at near-professional levels before an
internationally distinguished jury and discerning concert audience.
Entertaining and inspiring, the film provides an intimate look into
the diverse lives of several colorful and multi-talented
participants in the 2007 Amateur Competition as they strive to
balance the demands of work and family with their love of
music.
All of the film's heroes have made their careers outside of
music in fields ranging from medicine and business to professional
tennis and education. For competitors who have faced such
extraordinary challenges as drug addiction, AIDS, or political
asylum, the competition is also a triumph over adversity. For all,
it represents an overwhelming desire to express a deeper side of
themselves, musically and otherwise.
Commentary from noted American pianist Van Cliburn and several
gold medalists from the Foundation's professional competition,
along with excerpts from a treasure trove of great masterworks for
classical piano--from Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin to Rachmaninoff
and Barber-- enhance the fascinating portraits in this universally
appealing film.
They Came To Play premiered in Texas on October 16, 2008, at
the Fort Worth Lone Star International Film Festival, and in
Florida on October 25 at the 23rd Annual Fort Lauderdale
International Film Festival, where the film won the Audience
Award.
THE CLIBURN 2009
The road to the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition begins with the worldwide Screening Audition Recitals,
held throughout January and February 2009 in Shanghai, China;
Hannover, Germany; Lugano, Switzerland; St. Petersburg, Russia; New
York, New York; and Fort Worth, Texas.
Approximately 150 applicants between the ages of eighteen and
thirty will perform in the free and public concerts, which will
consist of a forty-minute program by each pianist. The recitals are
overseen by a distinguished five-member jury.
On March 5, 2009, the Foundation will announce the names of
thirty pianists selected to participate in the Cliburn
2009.
The Cliburn 2009 will be held May 22- June 7, 2009, at Bass
Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. Winners will be announced at
the Awards Ceremony on June 7, at which time they will receive
medals from Van Cliburn himself. All six finalists of the
competition will receive a prize package offering three years of
managed concert tours with a combined total of more than 300
concert engagements, valued at over $1,000,000, as well as cash
awards and other prizes.
CASPARY AUDITORIUM AT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY Caspary
Auditorium at Rockefeller University is located at 1230 York Avenue
and East 66th Street in New York City. A fourteen-acre private
oasis at the edge of Manhattan's bustling Upper East Side with
breathtaking views of the East River and historic Queensboro
Bridge, Rockefeller University's campus is among the city's most
spectacular and soothing landscapes, and has been described by the
New York Times as "a musical composition of light, shadow and
shades of green." Caspary Auditorium, the university's main lecture
and performance space, is a one-of-a-kind domed auditorium with a
generous stage and finely tuned acoustics.
Caspary Auditorium is easily reached via bus, subway, or car.
Two buses stop near the main entrance: the York Avenue/57th Street
crosstown (M31) and the 68th Street crosstown (M66). By subway,
take the Lexington Avenue Local (No. 6) to the 68th Street and
Lexington Avenue Station and walk east. For those driving, the FDR
can be exited at 61st/63rd Street. The university's main entrance
is at 1230 York Avenue (at East 66th Street) on Manhattan's Upper
East Side. Parking is available at Greenberg Garage at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital (entrance at 68th Street, east of York
Avenue) or at Quick Park at 450 E. 63rd Street (between York and
1st Avenue).
The Van Cliburn Foundation gratefully acknowledges the
generosity of Rockefeller University in making this space available
for the 2009 New York Screening Audition Recitals and Opening
Event.
Please visit the Cliburn website for complete details on the
2009 Auditions, the Cliburn Competition, or to purchase ticket
subscriptions to the event.
The Cliburn 2009 Screening Audition Recitals are made possible
by ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor of the Van
Cliburn Foundation. American Airlines, Bank of America, City of
Fort Worth, JPMorgan Chase, Star-Telegram, Steinway & Sons, and
XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors, and Clear Channel
Communications and RadioShack Corporation are the Cliburn's
Corporate Sponsors. Official Sponsors are the Among G. Carter
Foundation, the Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County,
the Beaumont Foundation of America, the Burnett Foundation, and the
Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Star-Telegram is the principal media
partner and WRR 101.1 FM is the official radio station of Cliburn
Concerts.
Contact: Laura Grant
email: lgrant11@comcast.net
phone: 978.208.0552
web:
