Finalists named at Van Cliburn Competition Final round starts tonight @7:30 CDT

[yellowdogintexas]

2022 Cliburn Finalists:

Dmytro Choni, Ukraine, 28
Anna Geniushene, Russia, 31
Uladzislau Khandohi, Belarus, 20
Yunchan Lim, South Korea, 18
Ilya Shmukler, Russia, 27
Clayton Stephenson, United States, 23

Competition Schedule
https://cliburn.org/2022-cliburn-competition/schedule/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CliburnInsider2022FinalRoundDay1&utm_content=version_A

I have been watching in You TUbe. Right now I am watching Clayton Stephenson, who is currently my favorite
. He may be the first American to win in a very long time. I am doing some catch up viewing.

[Tomconroy]

1. One of my first posts on DU described my attending a

Van Cliburn concert at Tanglewood.
So if you don't like my posts, he's partly to blame!

[yellowdogintexas]

2. you got to see him perform live? WOW Even though I live in FW I never had the

opportunity to hear him live.

I was in the Bass Hall when he made his last public appearance though. It was very moving.

[Tomconroy]

3. Later in life he toured a bit. He was at Tanglewood with the

Boston Symphony. It was his birthday and to his delight the BSO played Happy Birthday at the end.
The thrill wasn't so much hearing him play as to be in the same amphitheater with him.
To me he was a real hero.

[yellowdogintexas]

4. being in the same room with him was definitely a joy

Actually that happened to me twice.

The first was at Broadway Baptist Church's annual Sing Along Messiah. That was his church and he was there that night. Jeez he was tall! Anyway, I looked up and saw him working his way to his seat.

The other time was in the Bass Hall. It was during the Cliburn concert series in the 50th anniversary year and he came down for the initial concert and through all the pain of his illness, came out to the podium to say a few words before the performance. The section I was in could see him off in the wings to our left so we knew he was there. The rest of the folks near us wondered what the heck we were all so worked up about. Then he came out, standing ovation, tears etc. The Music Director of the FW Symphony escorted him; he could not walk without a bit of help

That was the opening night of the series; it featured several prior Gold Medalists together. They played duets, a two piano 4 player piece and each played a solo. It was a wonderful concert and a fitting farewell from and to a marvelous man.

[Tomconroy]

5. Read this all the way through. Enjoy!

https://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/a-baby-grand-gift/