On September 28, PBS will air The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold, a 60-minute documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, established on September 24, 1962. The film, produced by Peter Rosen, interweaves stories told by fifteen of the competition’s gold medalists, along with the story of Van Cliburn’s legendary win of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, during the height of the Cold War. The PBS program will air nationally at 9 p.m. ET, and beginning on September 29 the film is also being streamed free at Cliburn.org and pbs.org. Among Cliburn’s recent events marking its 50th year were the launch of a new website in July; a free concert in January with 2009 silver medalist Yeol eum Son, featuring works commissioned by the Cliburn Competition; and a 50th Anniversary Gold Medalists Concert and Celebration on September 6. Planned for spring of 2013 is the publication of a commemorative book, The Cliburn: The First Fifty Years.
Posted September 13, 2012
