The Cliburn Competition and The Violin Channel Announce New Partnership

Tune in from May 21–June 7 for in-depth coverage of this year's exciting piano competition

The Violin Channel is excited to announce a new partnership with the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Open to pianists of all nationalities, the competition was started in 1962 in honor of American pianist Van Cliburn and his vision for using music to break down boundaries.

This year's event will be held from May 21 – June 7, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas, and The Violin Channel will be presenting in-depth coverage throughout — including behind-the-scenes content, on-the-ground interviews, and livestreams of all rounds of the competition.

“One of the core parts of our mission—and Van Cliburn’s vision—is to share the music made on our stages with the world and meet the audiences where they are,” said Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO. “We are happy to partner with the Violin Channel for the 2025 Competition; we know that their passion for young artists and creative ingenuity will help more people discover the exceptional 30 pianists competing this May and June.”

Recently, 77 pianists were chosen from a pool of 340 total applications to take part in the screening auditions this March.

The 30 pianists will be selected from this pool and will participate in the Preliminary Round from May 21–23, 2025 at Texas Christian University and perform a 40-minute recital. The recital will include the commissioned work composed by Gabriela Montero. 18 pianists will move on to the  Quarterfinal Round from May 24–25, 2025 for another 40-minute recital.

For the Semi-Final round, 12 competitors will perform in the Bass Performance Hall in two phases. The first is a 60-minute recital, and the second is a performance of a Mozart concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

6 competitors will then move on to the Final Round from June 3–7, 2025, and will perform two concertos with Marin Alsop and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Beyond cash prizes, winning a Cliburn medal includes comprehensive career management, artistic support, and bolstered publicity efforts for the three following years. Previous winners include Yunchan Lim, Yekwon Sunwoo, and Vadym Kholodenko.

Chaired by Paul Lewis, the 2025 competition jury will comprise Rico Gulda, Mari Kodama, Anne-Marie McDermott, Gabriela Montero, Jon Nakamatsu,  Lise de la Salle, Yevgeny Sudbin, and Wu Han.