Sound of success: Cliburn competition boosts Fort Worth with up to $20M in economic impact
May 16,2025
See full Fort Worth Report article via KERA here.
Jacques Marquis came to Fort Worth from Montreal in 2013 to lead one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.
In the dozen years since, the president and CEO of the Van Cliburn Foundation has overseen the globally recognized Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Starting May 21, the competition returns with 30 emerging pianists from 15 countries — ranging in ages from 18 to 30 — vying for top prizes and career management packages during a three-week period at TCU’s Van Cliburn Concert Hall and Bass Performance Hall.
“I came here from Montreal because of the Cliburn,” Marquis told attendees at a May 13 series of economic impact discussions hosted by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce at the Kimbell Art Museum. “I’m glad I came to Fort Worth because it’s a diamond here in Fort Worth.”
He described the Cliburn as one of the top two piano competitions in the world. But, he adds, “I’m not saying that.”
Media outlets, such as BBC Music Magazine and The New York Times, have described the Cliburn with glowing accolades since the competition began in 1962, he said.
Its direct economic impact on Fort Worth is massive — to the tune of $15 million to $20 million — every four years that the competition is held. Visitors spend money at restaurants, hotels and vehicle rentals during the competition’s run, which concludes this year on June 7.
The competition’s start “was in tribute to Van” after the late pianist won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 and was celebrated with a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the first pianist recognized to such national acclaim. Time magazine described Cliburn at the time as “the Texan who conquered Russia.”
Almost 65 years later, the competition is thriving in Fort Worth.
The Cliburn, coupled with the upcoming Charles Schwab Challenge May 19-25 at Colonial Country Club, “puts eyeballs on Fort Worth,” said Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership.
“That type of culture doesn’t show up in a box score,” he said, adding that it allows business leaders to present the cultural aspects of the city in storytelling efforts to attract businesses.
“It’s significant, it demonstrates the well-roundedness of a city like ours,” Allen said. “It’s a wonderful time in Fort Worth.”
With the use of technology, millions of people now view the piano competition and numerous related piano concerts online through webcasts. When that endeavor started in 2015, half a million viewers tuned in, Marquis said.
Those efforts have boomed in recent years. In 2022, with partnerships with South Korea and China, those webcasts reached 60 million views, he said. This spring, the foundation is partnering with on-demand channel Carnegie Hall+ to stream documentaries, past recitals and select performances from the 2025 competition.
“We bring the eyes to Fort Worth,” Marquis said.
In 2022, about 30,000 tickets were sold for the Cliburn. From those tickets, 22.5% were at least 50 miles away from North Texas.
“That’s about 7,000 people coming from 14 countries and 44 states,” Marquis said.
Those visitors created a strong economic impact by spending about $500 to $3,000 each during their stay in Fort Worth.
“When you come to (the) impact of the Cliburn, the Cliburn reaches the world every four years,” he said. “Because we manage the careers of the winners, we also do a movie.”
That film, “Crescendo,” follows the 2022 competition with behind-the-scenes stories of pianists, capturing “stories of adversity, sacrifice and heartbreak.” The film is available on Amazon and other platforms. The foundation also produces classical music albums distributed internationally.
Wherever you go out in the world, if you say Fort Worth, the city’s connection to the Cliburn comes to the minds of many, Marquis said.
The foundation’s efforts to promote classical music led to 7 million impressions on social media in 2022 as well as 5,000 news articles across the world.
That’s invaluable global recognition, he said.
“If you can tell me how much this is worth, I’ll go to see all the businesses and sell and try to get sponsors,” Marquis said.