We're just here to get experiences."Įxperience and publicity. "I think it shouldn't be even called competing. I think, what she said before, that we all prepare and we all do our best," Balogh says. "Competitions for me are not something where I have enemies. Balogh is also a Cliburn Junior competitor. To show their camaraderie, Ji gave him a high-five when she learned they've both lived mostly on their own, to study away from home, since they were 14. Ji is already in Fort Worth for a piano festival and master classes, along with 17-year-old Adam Balogh from Hungary. Seventeen-year-old Adam Balogh, from Hungary, is in the Cliburn Junior Competition. "But all my peers, I learn so much from them, and I think that's why we compete." "For me, it's more a learning experience, because every time I go to a big competition, I don't just expect to win anything or to do anything big," Ji says. She's not a fan of competitions, and she feels the pressure, but she's also a junior competitor. At 15, you go and say hey - enjoy."įifteen-year-old Bejing native Youlan Ji has been playing for about half her life and is now a pre-college student at Juilliard in New York. You get the fear at 17, 18, when you realize you're almost there. "They want to share music with others, and I think they play without fear. "They have this unique free mind about playing the piano," Marquis says. But he thinks they can deal with the competition. Marquis agrees that the kids are bright, talented and sensitive. "There are some very sensitive kids who may have great talents and should be carefully nurtured and not put under too much pressure too soon," Isacoff says. Isacoff worries gifted kids in the new junior contest - who could win up to $12,000 in cash and scholarship money - may be too young to handle that kind of stress. Because of the rewards, pressure on adult Cliburn competitors is intense. The gold medalist from the last Cliburn competition in 2013, Vadym Kholodenko, won three years of international concert bookings, professional management, $50,000 and clothing from Neiman-Marcus. "If someone is going to have their eyes on competitions, they're certainly going to think of the Cliburn maybe first, because it's so big, it's so important and the rewards are so great," Isacoff says. "Second, we can also interest them in the Cliburn brand."īut Stuart Isacoff, a pianist and a longtime music writer, questions if the Cliburn Foundation really needs to worry about marketing.īeijing native Youlan Ji, is competing in the First Cliburn International Junior Competition. "If we can kind of scout the field when they're young, we can at least first offer them a platform to measure their skills and to learn more about the piano world," Marquis says. That's because you began at age 5 or even 4, he says. When you're good at piano at 25 - which is about the age of most of the main Cliburn competitors - you're already amazing at 15, says Jacques Marquis, president and CEO of the Cliburn Foundation. But with the new contest, which will be webcast live, a question has been raised: Are we putting too much pressure on young musicians too soon? The main Van Cliburn International Competition, held every four years for adults, has helped launch professional careers. The Van Cliburn Foundation is hosting its first international piano competition for young pianists - specifically 13 to 17-year-olds - beginning this weekend in Fort Worth, Tex. The First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival will give competitors 13-17 years old a chance at a Cliburn victory.
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