About
Cleveland International Piano Competition in collaboration with The Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC) was originally founded in 1974 as the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition. Over the past fifty years, the competition has grown in prestige and size, launching the careers of famed pianists Angela Hewitt, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi amongst many others. As the CIPC celebrates its 50th anniversary, the competition has been reimagined by its host organization, Piano Cleveland, “to identify and support the future leaders in the piano world.” Contestants will compete for the $75,000 Mixon First Prize as well as several other prizes, including an artist development program with ties to Cleveland cultural institutions.
Forging a new path in the competition space, the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition has been redesigned to identify and empower future leaders of the piano world.
The 2024 CIPC redefines what “success” traditionally looks like in a competition, by cultivating unique musical expression and creative artistic vision within and beyond the competition stage.
Contestants will be eligible to receive newly designed prizes that meet the needs of artists today, in addition to the unparalleled opportunity to perform with The Cleveland Orchestra and to learn from Honorary CIPC Ambassador, Lang Lang.
Now firmly in its second century, The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, remains one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Year after year the ensemble exemplifies extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, The New York Times has called Cleveland “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color and chamber-like musical cohesion, “virtually flawless,” and “one of the finest ensembles in the country (if not the world).”
New initiatives for audience growth and community service have been launched in recent years, including new technological infrastructure and capabilities at its home, Severance Music Center, to capture the Orchestra's unique artistry and the musical achievements of the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership.
The 2023-24 season marks Franz Welser-Möst’s 22nd year as music director, a period in which The Cleveland Orchestra earned unprecedented acclaim around the world, including a series of residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra. The Orchestra’s 100th season in 2017-18 featured two international tours, concluding with the presentation of Welser-Möst’s Prometheus Project, featuring works by Beethoven, on three continents. The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a growing group of fans around the world.