Big-screen dreams
2022 Cliburn documentary to make North American debut at free Fort Worth event
Yunchan Lim performs with FWSO and conductor Marin Alsop at the 2022 Cliburn competition.
UPDATE 10-25-2023: Due to the possibility of inclement weather, the screening will be indoors at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, The Cliburn announced on Facebook. Tickets are free but required, and are still available.
---
A documentary about the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will make its North American premiere at a free screening at Texas Christian University this month. Crescendo, directed and produced by Heather Wilk, will debut at 7 pm October 26 at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU.
It's a fitting location for the premiere - not only is the concert hall an homage to the competition's namesake, but it was also the site of the early rounds of the 2022 competition.
According to a release, the premiere event, presented by the Cliburn and Red Productions in partnership with the Lone Star Film Festival and Texas Christian University, will offer an exclusive preview of the new film and will be followed by an on-stage Q&A with filmmakers and 2022 Cliburn finalist Clayton Stephenson.
Tickets are free but required, and seating is general admission.
Crescendo is a feature documentary that follows the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the discovery of sensation Yunchan Lim, a South Korean pianist who, at the age of 18, became the youngest-ever Cliburn gold medalist. (Lim recently returned to Fort Worth for the first time to open the Fort Worth Symphony's new season.)
Screenings for Crescendo's world premiere in South Korea in August sold out in under two minutes, the release says; it currently is in negotiations for worldwide streaming distribution.
"Crescendo tells the story of the world’s most talented pianists and the role that Fort Worth plays in supporting their aspirations," says Wilk in the release. "Music brings the world together, and Fort Worth, through its hospitality and kindness, has created a global home for future generations of classical musicians and their fans. The film wouldn't have been possible without this inspiring community."
Potential attendees should note that "those deeply involved in the production and success of the 2022 competition — supporters, volunteers, and more — have been given Priority Access invitations to be seated inside Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU," organizers say. "All others wishing to attend this community celebration may reserve General Access Passes now at cliburn.org/crescendo; these passes are to attend the outdoor screening on a large screen on the lawn on the north side of the TCU Music Center, or to watch in the building’s Orchestra Rehearsal Hall."
Should seating inside the hall become available, they add, it will be offered to General Access Pass holders on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6:50 pm.
The evening will include a red carpet beginning at 6 pm; concert hall doors will open at 6:30 pm, the screening will begin at 7 pm, and the post-screening Q&A will commence at 9 pm.
“There is a great synergy to partnering with Red Productions and Lone Star Film Festival to host the North American premiere of this film in Fort Worth,” says Jacques Marquis, Cliburn president and CEO, “and to be able to do so at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, one of the Competition’s home venues and a character in the film itself, is fantastic.
"We’ve made this event free to the public because we want everyone who contributed to the success of the competition to be able to come and enjoy. The documentary is a celebration, first and foremost, of the exceptional pianists who competed in the historic 2022 Cliburn Competition, but it is also the story of a community that embraces these young people and makes them their own. The people of this city and region come together to make the Cliburn happen, which is why it was important for us to share this with them first.”
Watch the trailer here:
