REGISTRATION & ORIENTATION: 4:00pm. in hotel conference room on the 5th floor. Pick up your Road Scholar arrival packet containing your name tag, up-to-date schedule, list of participants, maps, and other important information we will review.

The on-site coordinator will greet you with a warm Texas welcome, introduce everyone, and provide key staff contact names and phone numbers. We will review the up-to-date daily schedule, discuss responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. If you arrive late, pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.

This program date covers both the Semi-Final and the Final Round of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition. You will have opportunities to hear the 12 semi-finalists as they each play a solo recital, a newly commissioned work, and perform with the acclaimed Brentano String Quartet. You will also attend all the Final Round performances, in which the pianists will perform with the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin. The experience will culminate with the Awards Ceremony, when the winners will be announced.

Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to weather and other local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible.

You will begin your exploration into the 14th Van Cliburn Competition with a lecture/discussion with a university professor, who will attend the competition sessions with you and discuss the works heard, the competitors, composers, and different styles and types of piano performance throughout the program.

The Van Cliburn Foundation also sponsors a quadrennial Amateur Competition open to pianists age 35 and older who do not derive their principal source of income through piano performance or instruction. These talented musicians also compete in three elimination rounds, have opportunities to explore chamber music works with professional musicians, and participate in symposia and other events. After a short break, you will meet one of the finalists from the 2011 Amateur Competition, who will share stories and insights into the experience.

After a short break, a music professor will lead a lecture-discussion on piano performance and musical genres.

As you have learned, Sundance Square is rich in Western history and lore. It is named for the Sundance Kid who, with Butch Cassidy, was a frequent visitor to the area then known as Hell's Half Acre.

After a short break, a representative from Bass Performance Hall will tell you about this hall, developed with private funds, that has become the crown jewel of Fort Worth — a city which boasts America’s third-largest cultural district. It is also an important symbol of one of the most successful downtown revitalization efforts in the country. The 2,056-seat multipurpose Hall is characteristic of the classic European opera house form. An 80-foot diameter Great Dome tops the Founders Concert Theater while two 48-foot tall angels grace the Grand Facade. Since the Hall opened in May 1998, the angels have become cultural icons. The Hall itself is renowned for its superb acoustics, exceptional sight lines, and ambience on level with the great halls of the world.

After a short break, a music professor leads a lecture-discussion on the pieces performed during the competition and will offer further insights into the study of piano.

Attend the Cliburn Foundation symposium where you'll hear entertaining stories about cross-cultural experiences from members of the domestic and international press corps at the media symposium sponsored by the Cliburn foundation. Consider the perspectives of competitors from other parts of the world as they compete in Fort Worth while living in the private homes of volunteers. Discover how their stories are covered by media outlets around the world.

Following the lecture enjoy freetime before dinner.

Following a short break, we will have a lecture/discussion with university professor on works performed during the competition and offer insights into the demands of competition performance on the young pianists.

Over the past four decades, the Cliburn Competition has involved hundreds of great musicians, music professionals, and dedicated individuals in its various activities. Maestro John Giordano will serve as chairman of the jury for the eleventh competition since he assumed the post in 1973.

The Foundation conducts the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; provides three years of career management for competition finalists; organizes the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs™; produces an annual concert series; and offers music education and outreach programs in cooperation with North Texas schools. Explore the foundation's programs with a staff member, who will share how Mr. Cliburn's vision to expand appreciation for classical music is accomplished through education and outreach efforts.

After a short break, you will compare notes with the piano professor about the competition. See if others in the group are rooting for your favorite contestant!

Built entirely with private funds, Bass Performance Hall is permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts. The 2,056-seat multipurpose Hall is characteristic of the classic European opera house form. An 80-foot diameter Great Dome tops the Founders Concert Theater and two 48-foot tall limestone angels grace the Grand Facade. Since the Hall opened in May 1998, the angels have become pre-eminent cultural icons of the entire Dallas / Fort Worth metropolitan area. The Hall itself is renowned for its superb acoustics, exceptional sight lines and ambiance on level with the great halls of the world.

Program concludes no later than 11:00AM.