[carried story]
March 20–FORT WORTH — Move over, Numa Numa guy. Take a break, Filipino inmates busting out Thriller moves. YouTube isn’t just for pop-culture wackiness anymore.
The Van Cliburn Foundation has launched the Cliburn YouTube Contest, part of a search for entrants for its next International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, to be held in 2011. Amateur pianists over age 35 may upload a video of themselves playing a classical composition — jazz, pop or other styles are disqualifiers — to www.youtube.com/vancliburnfoundation by April 30. On May 1, viewers can look at the videos and vote for their favorite pianist. The winner, whose name will be announced May 30, will be invited to compete in the 2011 competition in Fort Worth.
“We love YouTube,” says Sevan Melikyan, the Cliburn’s marketing director. “We recorded many of the performances from the last amateur competition [in 2007] and noticed a lot of amateur pianists were watching these clips and putting up a lot of comments. We were emboldened by that.
“[And] the Boston Pops had done something similar last year called the Pops Search. Combining these two things, we thought, ‘Why don’t we have a competition for an amateur pianist?’”
The foundation plans to sponsor YouTube contests over the next three years, so the field for the next live competition could include several such video winners.
Melikyan says he trusts YouTube viewers not to pick the classical-pianist equivalent of famous American Idol nonsinger William Hung. “YouTube has an active life when it comes to amateur pianists. … The people watching have a passion and knowledge,” he says.
For more rules and details, go to www.cliburn.org.
How to enter
For rules and details, go to www.cliburn.org.
Steinway Hall, 3717 Camp Bowie Blvd., will be open April 13 to amateur pianists who want to make a video. You must bring your own camera and tripod. For an appointment, call Sevan Melikyan at 817-738-6536.
