Fort Worth, Texas, June 23, 2016—Olga Kern, chairman of the jury for the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition (June 19–25, 2016), at Van Cliburn Recital Hall and Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, announced the six pianists advancing to the Final Round.
The finalists are:
Xavier Aymonod, 40, strategy consultant (France)
Matthias Fischer, 42, physician (Germany)
Ken Iisaka, 47, software engineer (Japan/Canada)
Gregory Knight, 53, software engineer (United States)
Michael Slavin, 65, retired ophthalmologist (United States)
Thomas Yu, 38, periodontist (Canada)
Click here for Competitor bios.
For the complete schedule of Final Round performances, click here or see below.
For downloadable press photos of the finalists click here.
During the Semifinal Round (June 23), 12 competitors played 25–28 minute recitals. They performed live at Van Cliburn Recital Hall before the seven-member jury and hundreds of patrons, as well as to a worldwide audience via the Competition’s live, fully produced webcast. The Amateur Competition jury includes Olga Kern, chairman; Akemi Alink-Yamamoto, Angela Cheng, Catharine Lysinger, Fali Pavri, André-Michel Schub, and Nelita True.
The entire Competition is live and on demand at Cliburn.org.
THE FINAL ROUND
Six pianists will each perform one movement of a concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Damon Gupton, at Bass Performance Hall.
FINALISTS’ ORDER OF PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016
Final Round Concert, 3:00 p.m.
Gregory Knight, 53, software engineer (United States)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio
Ken Iisaka, 47, software engineer (Japan/Canada)
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271 (“Jeunehomme”): III. Rondo (presto)
Xavier Aymonod, 40, strategy consultant (France)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio
--intermission (20 minutes)--
Matthias Fischer, 42, physician (Germany)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15: I. Allegro con brio
Michael Slavin, 65, retired ophthalmologist (United States)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio
Thomas Yu, 38, periodontist (Canada)
SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, op. 103 (“Egyptian”): III. Molto allegro
The Awards Ceremony will follow jury voting.
This schedule is subject to change.
ABOUT DAMON GUPTON, conductor
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Damon Gupton received his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Michigan. He studied conducting with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the Aspen Music Festival and with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. He served as American conducting fellow of the Houston Symphony for the 2004–2005 season, and his conducting appearances include the Detroit Symphony, The Cincinnati Pops, National Symphony Orchestra, NHK Orchestra of Tokyo, and Sphinx Symphony, as part of the 12th annual Sphinx Competition. He led the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra on a national tour which included performances at Carnegie Hall; a well-reviewed recording is available at White Pine Music. He is a winner of the Third International Eduardo Mata Conducting Competition, held in Mexico City. Musical collaborations include work with Marcus Miller, Kenn Hicks, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Byron Stripling, Tony DeSare, The Midtown Men, Kathleen Battle, and Jamie Cullum. Mr. Gupton held the post of assistant conductor of the Kansas City Symphony from 2006–2008.
An accomplished actor, Mr. Gupton graduated from the drama division of The Juilliard School. He is currently working with Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt on Goliath, which premieres on Amazon in October. Other television credits include starring roles in The Player, The Divide, and Prime Suspect, as well as guest appearances on A&E’s Bates Motel, The Newsroom, Suits, Empire, Rake, Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Conviction, The Unusuals, Third Watch, Hack, Drift, and Deadline. He appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash, as well as This is Forty, The Last Airbender, Helen at Risk, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Unfaithful, and The Loretta Claiborne Story. Stage appearances include the Broadway production of Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park, Carter’s Way, Superior Donuts, Inked Baby, The Story, Meg’s New Friend, An American Daughter, True History and Real Adventures, Treason, and Othello.
Mr. Gupton merged his love of acting and conducting in a January 2016 appearance with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, when he conducted "A Night at the Oscars" at Bass Performance Hall.
ABOUT THE SEVENTH CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR PIANO COMPETITION
The Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition will take place June 19–25, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas, in Van Cliburn Recital Hall and Bass Performance Hall.
The Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition is open to non-professional pianists age 35 and older who do not derive their principal source of income through piano performance or instruction. Established in 1999 as the first of its kind in the United States, the quadrennial festival promotes lifelong music making as a vital part of daily life and has drawn 68 competitors this year. (Click here for competitor bios.) Cliburn Live will webcast 40 hours of live performances, interviews, and an awards ceremony over the seven-day period at Cliburn.org. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. Tickets to the Final Round and Awards Ceremony, at Bass Performance Hall, range from $10 to $60; visit cliburn.org or call 817.212.4280 for more information.
ABOUT THE CLIBURN
The Cliburn advances classical piano music throughout the world. Its international competitions, education programs, and concert series embody an enduring commitment to artistic excellence and the discovery of new artists. Established in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fifteenth edition, May 25–June 10, 2017) is widely-recognized as “one of the world’s highest-visibility classical-music contests” (The Dallas Morning News) and remains committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of young pianists, age 18 to 30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through a fully-produced webcast and by providing commission-free, comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Rounding out its mission, the Cliburn also produces the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition for outstanding non-professional pianists 35 and older, and held its inaugural Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival in June 2015, for exceptional 13 to 17-year-old pianists (Second edition, June 2019).
Over a four-year cycle, the Cliburn contributes to North Texas’ cultural landscape with over 170 classical music performances for 150,000 attendees, through competitions, free community concerts, and its signature Cliburn Concerts series at Bass Performance Hall, the Kimbell Art Museum Piano Pavilion, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. It presents 1,000 in-school, interactive music education programs for 200,000 area elementary students. During the same time period, it garners the world’s attention with over one million visits from 155 nations for live concert and competition webcasts; 300 concerts worldwide booked for competition winners; more than 5,000 news articles about the Cliburn and its winners; regular national radio broadcasts to 245 public radio stations; and a PBS documentary airing in a potential 105 million households.
Detailed information about the Cliburn and its programs is available at Cliburn.org.
Sponsors of the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition are:
Alcon Foundation
BNSF Railway Foundation
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dennett Construction
Fifth Avenue Foundation
Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Garvey Texas Foundation, Inc.
Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc.
Pinnacle Bank
Southwest Bank
Star-Telegram
Steinway Hall-North Texas/Houston
Sundance Square
Texas Commission on the Arts
Cliburn Sponsors are:
Arts Council of Fort Worth
Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust
The Edith Winther Grace Charitable Trust, J.P. Morgan, Trustee
Sid W. Richardson Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation
William E. Scott Foundation
Exclusive Print Media Sponsor:
Star-Telegram
Official Piano of the Cliburn:
Steinway & Sons – North Texas / Houston
Official Hotel of the Cliburn:
Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel
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