Applause-worthy achievement
American software engineer wins 2022 Cliburn Amateur Piano Competition in Fort Worth
Jon Lee, a 41-year-old software engineer from San Francisco, has won the Eighth Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition in Fort Worth.
Michael Slavin, 71, a retired New York neuro-ophthalmologist, won second place; and Xavier Aymonod, 46, a public transportation marketing director from France, took home third.
The winners were announced at Bass Hall on Tuesday, October 18, at the conclusion of the seven-day competition that saw pianists compete through three rounds. Six finalists performed a movement of a major piano concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, under former FWSO music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
The Cliburn Amateur, launched in 1999, is the world's pre-eminent competition for non-professional pianists age 35 and older. This year's edition — rescheduled from May 2020 — drew 29 pianists from 16 countries across the globe. They ranged from age 38 to 72, with a median age of 51. An additional 14 pianists came to Fort Worth as non-competing festival participants.
The competition was adjudicated by a jury of internationally renowned pianists, piano professors, and Cliburn competition alumni: Pamela Mia Paul, jury chair (United States); Peter Czornyj (United Kingdom); Alessandro Deljavan (Italy); Valery Kuleshov (United States); Carol Leone (United States); Alex McDonald (United States); and Spencer Myer (United States).
The complete list of 2022 winners, including jury award honorees, is:
The Richard Rodzinski First Prize: Jon Lee, Software Engineer, 41, United States
$2,000 cash prize (plus custom Justin boots)
Second Prize: Michael Slavin, Neuro-Ophthalmologist (retired), 71, United States
$1,500 cash prize
Third Prize: Xavier Aymonod, Marketing Director – Public Transportation, 46, France
$1,000 cash prize
Jury Discretionary Award: Deirbhile Brennan, Accountant, 53, Ireland
$500 cash prize
Jury Discretionary Award: Sean Sutherland, Product Manager, 45, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines/Canada
$500 cash prize
Jury Discretionary Award: Noah DeGarmo, Physician, 44, United States
$500 cash prize
Audience Award: Masanori Murakami, Clinical Project Manager, 38, Japan
$500 cash prize (plus a Justin cowboy hat)
Avid Cliburn Amateur fans will recognize several names from past competitions. Slavin and Aymonod repeated their second- and third-place finishes, respectively, from the 2016 Cliburn Amateur. Brennan, Sutherland, and DeGarmo also competed in 2016.
