Cliburn IPC for Young Artists

The Cliburn was an interesting experience. The recent proliferation of IPC of significant heft for young artists has added a new dimension to the development of young pianists. There are so many conflicting factors. For example, at this Cliburn, I heard some fantastically talented young pianists (as young as 13) playing repertoire that they simply did not understand, but did have the sufficient physical talent, intuition, and coaching to pull off fairly well and thrill most standard audiences, perhaps even some of the jury unfamiliar with the development of this age group. While this might be okay from the perspective of the competition, it’s probably not good for the long-term development of the young artist because this can lead to imbalanced artistic development and even physical injury. Also, there’s a question of what to look for? For me, I would choose someone that shows the potential to go on and have a real concert career. There’s a real difference between someone pleasing and enjoyable as a young person and someone who could really mature into a titan of a pianist and artist. Regardless, we’re very proud of Zhonghua Wei and Sizhe Wang for advancing to the semis and quarters respectively and doing so with such class and flair. I’m certain both of you will have long fruitful careers in music.