Tcahikovsky Piano Concerto Van Cliburn

Park University International Center for Music graduate student Kenny Broberg, the silver medalist at the recently completed 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will perform in concert on Sunday, Sept. 10, at the historic Folly Theater in Kansas City, Mo. The performance begins at 4 p.m.

Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with the orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with any American orchestra. Ormandy made numerous recordings with the orchestra, and as guest conductor with European orchestras, and achieved three gold records and two Grammy Awards. His reputation was as a skilled technician and expert orchestral builder.

Established in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is often recognized as the most prestigious classical music contest in the world (The Chicago Tribune) and remains committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of young artists, ages 18 30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through fully produced webcasts and by providing comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Past winners include Radu Lupu, Jon Nakamatsu, Olga Kern, Joyce Yang, Haochen Zhang, Beatrice Rana, and Vadym Kholodenko.

Winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn competition, Haochen Zhang is no stranger to a challenge. On this début concerto disc he proves this once more, boldly jumping in at the deep end as he takes on Sergei Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 2. The demands posed by Prokofievs concerto are famous, starting with a huge cadenza already in the first movement. This may explain why the concerto was for a long time relatively unknown and, unlike the First and Third Piano Concertos, has only recently taken its rightful place in the repertory.

Named after the platinum-selling American winner of the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Cold War Moscow in 1958, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was established in 1962 and its gold medal is recognized as “one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music” (The Guardian). Every four years, winners are chosen by an esteemed panel of judges and awarded significant cash and other prizes, as well as three years of comprehensive career management and concert tours.

Winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn competition, Haochen Zhang is no stranger to a challenge. On this début concerto disc he proves this once more, boldly jumping in at the deep end as he takes on Sergei Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 2. The demands posed by Prokofievs concerto are famous, starting with a huge cadenza already in the first movement.