American Ralph Votapek took home the gold medal and $10,000 prize, and went on to perform with hundreds of major American orchestras over an illustrious career. He is professor emeritus of piano at the Michigan State University College of Music.
Here’s a look back at the first Cliburn competition in 1962, from the Star-Telegram archives.
The 16 pianists selected to enter the final week of the competition in 1962, gathered in front of flags of the nations which they represented. Seated from left: Ilze Graubin and Nina Lelchuk of Russia, Cecile Ousset of France, Marilyn Neeley of California, and Hiroko Nakamura of Japan. Standing, from left: Sergio Varella-Cid of London, who was representing Portugal, Arthur Charles Fennimore of Pennsylvania, Donn-Alexandre Feder of New York, Mikhail Voskresenski and Nikolai Petrov of Russia, Hajime Kono of Japan, John Perry of Kansas, Raul Sosa of Argentina, and Takashi Andrew De Groote of Belgium. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Victory pose brings together six finalists chosen to vie for the $10,000 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition first prize in 1962. Standing from left: Mikhail Voskresenski, Ralph Votapek, Hiroko Nakamura, Marilyn Neeley and Nikolai Petrov; at keyboard, Cecile Ousset. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Ralph Votapek, winner of the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962, receives a congratulatory kiss from Marilyn Neeley of Glendale, California, a friend who placed fifth in the competition. Harry Cabluck Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Anahid Alexanian of Canada, seated, is helped out of her car muffs by Marlene Linzmeyer, right, while Manigirdas Motekaitis, left, Ralph Votapek, and Elaine Keillor watch. Harry Cabluck Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
For the first Cliburn competition in 1962, Soviet entries in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition pose beneath the welcome sign at Hotel Texas upon arrival from Moscow. From left: Mikhail Voskresenski, Ilze Graubin, Nina Lelchuk and Nikolai Petrov. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Ralph Votapek performing on piano during the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in which he won first prize. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Ralph Votapek, winner of the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, holds the Allison-Lankford Gold Cup. The 18-inch trophy is named in honor of Irl Allison, center, president of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and Grace Ward Lankford, co-founder of the Fort Worth Piano Teachers Forum and founder of the Cliburn competition. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
The 1962 members of the executive board of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition are Mrs. Grace Ward Lankford, seated left, competition chairman; Mrs. Ewell J. Robinett, seated right, and Sam Cantey III, Serge Saxe, Lorin Boswell Jr., Joe A. Clarke and Richard L. Brown, standing left to right. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Ralph Votapek, winner of the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962, holds the Allison-Lankford Gold Cup. The 18-inch high engraved trophy is named in honor of Irl Allison of Austin, president of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, which he founded. Dr. and Mrs. Allison contributed to the first place prize money in the name of the guild. The trophy is also named in honor of Grace Ward Lankford, co-founder of the Fort Worth Piano Teachers Forum, and founder and twice chairman of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. From left are Votapek, Van Cliburn, Dr. Irl Allison, and Mrs. Jessie Allison. Harry Cabluck Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
John Paik of Dallas, left, serves as an interpreter for fellow Koreans, Sung Mi Cho and Jung Kyu Kim, after arriving for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962. The pair from Seoul were accompanied by Cho’s mother and an instructor. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
Arthur Moreira Lima of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the first foreign pianist to arrive for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Special Collections
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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Matt Leclercq is senior managing editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously was an editor at USA Today in Washington, national news editor at Gatehouse Media in Austin, and executive editor of The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s a New Orleans native.
