Cliburn, Van (Harvey Lavan Cliburn) (klī`bərn), 1934–, American pianist, b. Shreveport, La. Until 1951, Cliburn studied with his mother, a concert pianist, and became a pupil of Rosina Lhévinne at the Juilliard School of Music. Cliburn won the 1958 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. His superb technique and interpretations are especially well-suited to Romantic music. In 1962 he created the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Tex.

Cliburn, Van

orig. Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr.

(born July 12, 1934, Shreveport, La., U.S.) U.S. pianist. He was taught piano by his mother in his early years. After study with Rosina Lhévinne (1880–1976) at the Juilliard School, he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic. In 1958 he became a national sensation as the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1962 he established the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Possessed of an impressive technique, he limited himself to the Romantic repertoire and spent many years away from the concert stage.

Cliburn, (Harvey Lavan, Jr.) Van (1934– ) pianist; born in Shreveport, La. He soloed with orchestras as a teenager before being catapulted to fame as the first American to win Moscow's Tchaikovsky Prize (1958). He embarked on an international solo career, specializing in the 19th-century standard repertoire, but in 1978 largely ceased performing for personal reasons. The piano competition he began in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1962 became an important international event.