A Surprise In Texas: Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Airs Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 10:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Credit: Courtesy of Van Cliburn Foundation/Altré MEDIA
Above: The winners of the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (from left to right): Yeol Eum Son, 23 (Korea), Silver Medal; Nobuyuki Tsujii, 20 (Japan), Gold Medal (tie); Haochen Zhang, 19 (China), Gold Medal (tie).
This documentary is a behind-the-scenes experience of the most prestigious piano contest in the world. Twenty-nine of the world’s best young pianists hailing from fourteen countries converged in Fort Worth for a once-in-a-lifetime chance at the coveted gold medal in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
"Nobu fever" became a term in the world of classical music after 20 year-old Nobuyuki Tsujii from Japan won the competition in June 2009. This film follows Nobu, who is blind from birth, through the three weeks of grueling practice, rehearsal and performance during the competition, and is an inspiration to all people who face disabilities, hurdles or obstacles in life.
Want more KPBS news?
Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or subscribe to our newsletters.
To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.