Cliburn, Van (Harvey Lavan Cliburn) (klī'burn) [key], 1934–, American pianist, b. Shreveport, La. Until 1951, Cliburn studied with his mother, a concert pianist, and became a pupil of Rosina Lhévinne at the Juilliard School of Music. Cliburn won the 1958 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. His superb technique and interpretations are especially well-suited to Romantic music. In 1962 he created the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Tex.
