This Van Cliburn Competition Teaser Video Proves: Piano Players Make the Weirdest Faces

The 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition kicks off with preliminary rounds in Fort Worth in just two weeks. On Friday, the organization tweeted this teaser video in anticipation of the high-stakes, high-pressure event...

By Katie Womack

May 13, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition kicks off with preliminary rounds in Fort Worth in just two weeks. On Friday, the organization tweeted this teaser video in anticipation of the high-stakes, high-pressure event.

See also: Van Cliburn: An Appreciation

The video is a collage of what seems to be really old archival footage from Van Cliburns past. While it starts with a shot of pianists' hands caressing the keyboard, it quickly moves into a bizarre montage of The Most Absurd Piano Faces ever. There's wincing, gazing, sweating, weeping and possibly even climaxing. And the eyebrows! So much furrowing and raising.

Have your own Van Cliburn competition ambitions? If you don't feel like spending eight hours a day hunched over 88 keys, maybe you can spend eight minutes a day practicing your PianO Face in the mirror. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.