NTX Magazine Volume 5 | Page 65

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Arts International Language of Music Fostered from Fort Worth In 1958, Time Magazine proclaimed Van Cliburn “The Texan Who Conquered Russia.” But, 57 years later, the foundation that bears his name is instead in the business of bringing the world together, conquering separation and inspiring a shared love of music – all from its home base in North Texas. A humble Texas talent, Cliburn was the first winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, a piano competition originally designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority in the Cold War era. His performance at the competition’s finale, of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Concerto No. 3, earned him not only an eight-minute standing ovation from the world’s foremost music critics and fans, but also the top prize in the competition, the first ticker-tape parade in New York City ever given to a musician and the beginning of a successful, life-long career. FALL/WINTER 2015 www.ntc-dfw.org 63