Piano news

Cliburn invites 6 Russian pianists and political fireworks to 2022 competition in Fort Worth

Sergey Tanin is one of six Russian pianists vying for gold in the 2022 Cliburn competition.

Photo courtesy of the Cliburn

Get ready for geopolitical fireworks to accompany the 2022 Cliburn competition in Fort Worth this June. Of the 30 competitors chosen for the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, six are coming from Russia, the largest pool from any one country, the organization revealed March 30. Two are from Belarus, and one is from Ukraine.

The announcement comes at a time when cultural institutions around the world are banning participants from Russia and Belarus to stand against Vladimir Putin's Russian-led invasion of Ukraine. But the Cliburn is choosing to stand with artists — and with the power of art to transcend politics — says CEO Jacques Marquis.

In a statement released with the list of competitors, Marquis says:

The 30 competitors we announce today were selected solely on their artistry. We know that their extraordinary ability to communicate through music will touch the world when they take the Cliburn stage this June.

The Cliburn must and will remain true to its mission as an artist-supporting cultural institution, and we are dedicated to the power of this artform to transcend boundaries. We make no distinction between non-political artists based on their nationality, gender, or ethnicity. We stand firmly with the music community around the globe in its commitment to these ideals.

The hearts of the people of the Cliburn are with the valiant Ukrainians as they courageously defend their homeland from the Russian regime. What is happening goes against everything that humankind should stand for.

A March 30 social media video of the Cliburn's announcement was set to the music Three Movements from Petrushka by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, which Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko played to great acclaim on his way to winning the 2013 Cliburn competition.

Already listening
The quadrennial Cliburn international competition is considered the world's pre-eminent piano contest and an "Olympics" of the classical music world. The theme of the 2022 event is "The World is Listening," which already has been true.

The Cliburn received both criticism and applause in early March, when — just days into Russia's attack on Ukraine — the organization allowed 15 Russians to participate in screening auditions in Fort Worth. While the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board agreed with its decision, the Fort Worth Weekly's Kristian Lin warned that he and the audience might stand up and boo.

The Cliburn's decision even attracted The New York Times, which reminded readers of the foundation's Cold War-era roots and quoted Marquis as saying, “We can help the world by standing our ground and focusing on the music and on the artists."

Van Cliburn's victory at the 1958 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow was considered a pivotal thaw in Cold War relations. When Cliburn passed away in February 2013 at the age of 78 in Fort Worth, he was still known by a title bestowed on a Time magazine cover: "The Texan who conquered Russia." (A TCU concert hall named for Cliburn, where much of the competition will take place, is set to open next week.)

While the participation of Russian pianists will likely dominate headlines until the last note is played, here's a list of all 30 of the competitors who will be vying for a gold medal and the start of a professional career. The competition runs June 2-18 in Fort Worth.

Tianxu An, China, age 23
Yangrui Cai, China, 21
Albert Cano Smit, Spain/Netherlands, 25
Dmytro Choni, Ukraine, 28
Federico Gad Crema, Italy, 23
Anna Geniushene, Russia, 31
Francesco Granata, Italy, 23
Arseniy Gusev, Russia, 23
Masaya Kamei, Japan, 20
Uladzislau Khandohi, Belarus, 20
Honggi Kim, South Korea, 30
Elizaveta Kliuchereva, Russia, 23
Shuan Hern Lee, Australia, 19
Andrew Li, United States, 22
Yunchan Lim, South Korea, 18
Denis Linnik, Belarus, 26
Kate Liu, United States, 28
Ziyu Liu, China, 24
Jonathan Mak, Canada, 25
Georgijs Osokins, Latvia, 27
Jinhyung Park, South Korea, 26
Changyong Shin, South Korea, 28
Ilya Shmukler, Russia, 27
Vitaly Starikov, Russia, 27
Clayton Stephenson, United States, 23
Yutong Sun, China, 26
Marcel Tadokoro, France/Japan, 28
Sergey Tanin, Russia, 26
Yuki Yoshimi, Japan, 22
Xiaolu Zang, China, 22

The country breakdown (with a couple competitors representing two countries) is as follows:

Russia: 6
China: 5
South Korea: 4
Japan: 3
United States: 3
Italy: 2
Belarus: 2
Ukraine, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Latvia, France: 1

Notably, just three of the 30 are women, a number that's down from past competitions.

Of 388 initial applicants, the Cliburn says, 70 were invited to audition in Fort Worth, and 30 of those were selected to compete in June.

The jury deciding the winners will consist of Marin Alsop, jury chairman (United States); Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (France); Alessio Bax (Italy); Rico Gulda (Austria); Andreas Haefliger (Switzerland); Wu Han (China Taiwan/United States); Stephen Hough (United Kingdom); Anne-Marie McDermott (United States); Orli Shaham (Israel/United States); and Lilya Zilberstein (Germany).

For tickets and more information, visit the competition website. The entire competition also will be live-streamed.

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Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

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