Performances to feature pianists Haochen Zhang, Clayton Stephenson, Yefim Bronfman
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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art today announced the musicians performing in the 2025 Van Cliburn Concert Series. The musical journey will feature three unique performances in Crystal Bridges’ Great Hall throughout 2025.
On February 21, the museum will welcome Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist, Haochen Zhang. Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a special combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. He is one of the youngest Van Cliburn gold winners.
The series will continue September 5 with American pianist, Clayton Stephenson. Stephenson is described as a poet, a dramatist, and a master storyteller. He was the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. Stephenson currently studies at Harvard University.
Rounding out the 2025 season on December 18 is Grammy Award-winning pianist, Yefim Bronfman. Bronfman is recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists. He has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and won a Grammy in 1997 for his recording of three Bartók Concertos. Bronfman also appeared in Disney’s “Fantasia 2000.”
Celebrated as one of the most persuasive ambassadors of American culture, as well as one of the greatest pianists in the history of music, Van Cliburn tore down cultural barriers and transcended politics by demonstrating the universality of classical music. In 1958, Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the Cold war, which led to worldwide recognition for his musical prowess.
The beautiful Steinway and Sons grand piano played in this concert series was previously Van Cliburn’s home practice instrument. Its characteristic rich, sonorous voice lends itself perfectly to a variety of playing styles and stems from its regular use by so many skilled artists. The piano was donated to Crystal Bridges by Tommy Smith, Cliburn’s long-time partner.
Tickets for each Van Cliburn concert are $45 ($36 for members, $10 for students and teachers). New for the 2025 season are Van Cliburn Season Passes, which include tickets to all three shows and are $115 ($92 for members).
HAOCHEN ZHANG
WHAT: Van Cliburn Concert: Haochen Zhang
WHEN: Friday, February 21 | 7 PM
WHERE: Crystal Bridges | Great Hall | 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR, 72712
WHO: Since his gold medal win at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. In 2017, Haochen received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes talented musicians with the potential for a major career in music.
Haochen has already appeared with many of the world’s leading festivals and orchestras including the BBC Proms with Long Yu and the China Philharmonic; the Munich Philharmonic with the late Lorin Maazel in a sold-out tour in Munich and China; The Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin; the Sydney Symphony and David Robertson in a China tour; and the NDR Hamburg and Thomas Hengelbrock in a tour of Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai.
HOW: Tickets are $45 ($36 for members, $10 for students and teachers). Guests can purchase tickets online or with Guest Experience at (479)-657-2335.
CLAYTON STEPHENSON
WHAT: Van Cliburn Concert: Clayton Stephenson
WHEN: Friday, September 5 | 7 PM
WHERE: Crystal Bridges | Great Hall | 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR, 72712
WHO: American pianist Clayton Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making. Growing up in New York City, Clayton found musical inspiration in community programs. As he describes it, the “Third Street Music School jump-started my music education; the Young People’s Choir taught me phrasing and voicing; Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program introduced me to formal and rigorous piano training, which enabled me to get into Juilliard Pre-College; the Morningside Music Bridge validated my talent and elevated my self-confidence; and the Boy’s Club of New York exposed me to jazz.” He received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024 and is a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence honoree.
HOW: Tickets are $45 ($36 for members, $10 for students and teachers). Guests can purchase tickets online or with Guest Experience at (479)-657-2335.
YEFIM BRONFMAN
WHAT: Van Cliburn Concert: Yefim Bronfman
WHEN: Thursday, December 18 | 7 PM
WHERE: Crystal Bridges | Great Hall | 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR, 72712
WHO: Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. His commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike.
A frequent touring partner with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors, the 2024/25 season begins with the Pittsburgh and NDR Hamburg symphonies on tour in Europe followed by China and Japan with the Vienna Philharmonic. With orchestras in the US, he returns to Cleveland, New York, Houston, Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, Sarasota and Pittsburgh and in Europe to Hamburg, Helsinki, Berlin, Lyon and Vienna. In advance of a spring Carnegie Hall recital his program can be heard in Austin, St. Louis, Stillwater OK, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Washington DC, Amsterdam, Rome, Lisbon and Spain. Two special projects are scheduled this season – duos with flutist Emmanuel Pahud in Europe in the fall and trios with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Pablo Ferrandez in the US in spring.
Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, in 2010 he was further honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University and in 2015 with an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.
HOW: Tickets are $45($36 for members, $10 for students and teachers). Guests can purchase tickets online or with Guest Experience at (479)-657-2335.
The Van Cliburn Concert Series Endowment Fund is supported by Susan and Chip Chambers, Mary Ann and Reed Greenwood, Kay and Ellis Melton, Marti and Kelly Sudduth, and Alice L. Walton.
Additional sponsorship is provided by Jill and Tom King and Ellen and Malcolm Hayward.
Special thanks to Tommy Smith and Steinway & Sons.
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About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 13 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and philanthropist, Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions. The museum is nestled on 120 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program, Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities. Some 478,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), conceived as a platform for the art, food, and music of our time. In 2026, Crystal Bridges will complete a 114,000 square foot expansion that will allow the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
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