The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition famously honors the world’s finest pianists every four years. Less well-known, but just as important to its participants is the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, wherein excellent musicians who left the piano to pursue other careers have the opportunity to show off their talents before a panel of judges. Director Alex Rotaru and producer Lori Miller filmed the 2007 competition. Their documentary They Came to Play follows these pianists’ lives as they prepare for the competition, and rediscover that no matter what other jobs they do during the day, they are first and foremost musicians. Click here for a link to the documentary’s website, and click on “screenings” for information on where you can see the film.
Then, Bob talks with sculptor Ed Hamilton in his Louisville studio about his newest projects.