Description: Van Cliburn was a classical pianist, whose music touched the lives of everyone who heard him. During the Cold War, Cliburn's music soothed tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia). His victory in the 1958 Tchaikovsky Music Competition in Moscow was so big for the United States, he was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City. Over his life, Cliburn played before countless people, and even presidents. And an endless stream of honors came his way.
In Van Cliburn: Piano-Playing Peacemaker, author A.J. Chilson makes it known just how far Cliburn's talents took him. It went well beyond his adopted home state of Texas, where in Fort Worth a piano competition is named in his honor.