By Andrés Zapata, D.Sc. and Caitlin Currey \ June 10, 2025

The Cliburn’s 17th International Piano Competition

Remember when your teacher asked who was good at music in grammar school? Every hand shot up. Ours certainly did. 

Yet something happens along life’s wade; we start specializing—opting in or out of activities like dance, math, art, science, and music. But then, somehow, we started believing that those activities were reserved for those who had a natural talent, special knack, or excelled at them. Along the way, we lost touch with that universal awe we once had. The Cliburn’s 17th International Piano Competition tugged at those inner child heartstrings, reminding us of when every aspect of music felt within reach and anything seemed possible.

That’s the beauty of what The Cliburn accomplished last week in Fort Worth, Texas (or, Pianotown, as the mayor designated to celebrate the festivities). Genuine access through awe. They democratized entry to an elite art form, opening doors to people worldwide. Over 20 million viewers from 145 countries tuned in online, experiencing every delicate note, passionate crescendo, and triumphant applause. Additionally, a free open-air simulcast at Sundance Square shared the magic with the city of Fort Worth. 

Analog Magic in a Digital World

In a world increasingly dominated by automation, immediacy, and artificial intelligence, the analog nature of the concert struck a profound note of nostalgia and inspiration. Witnessing six finalists delivering 17 flawless piano concertos across two consecutive nights was simply impressive. There was no editing, synthesizing, or glamming-up of sound outputs. What we heard was exactly what it was. Maybe this is normal, but we were blown away by each concert’s purity, precision, and beauty. Remarkably, the only digital part of the equation was facilitating access while preserving the purity of human artistry and live performance.

Amplifying Good, One Note at a Time

These past few weeks, The Cliburn has more than lived up to its mission—to advance classical piano music globally. Collaborating with The Cliburn on their website design and build allowed us to fulfill our agency’s mission–to amplify good. Just as we helped the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art share treasures and history with millions worldwide, our role in this competition, albeit microscopic compared to The Cliburn’s lift, helped ensure tens of millions enjoyed the performance.

Grateful to Be a Pixel in the Bigger Picture

Being asked to help reimagine The Cliburn’s website is a career highlight for our team. Ensuring that we engineered a storytelling platform tuned to showcase the art in a way that supports the talent, The Cliburn’s mission, and worldwide access during massive traffic demand, so that nobody would miss a single heartbeat of the performance was equally challenging and rewarding.

A Final Forte

Experiencing the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition felt like being invited back to that childhood classroom where music was everyone’s domain. It was a powerful reminder that, thanks to organizations like The Cliburn, elite art doesn’t have to feel exclusive—it can, and should, belong to everyone.

Congratulations to the first, second, and third-place winners, Aristo Sham (Hong Kong, 29), Vitaly Starikov (Israel/Russia, 30), and Evren Ozel (USA, 26), respectively. Thank you for sharing your art with us, Fort Worth, and the world. Van Cliburn would be proud of your performances, and he would be egging on your budding and brilliant careers ahead.