First preliminary recitalist is Ms. Natacha Kidritskaya from the Ukraine, beginning at 1pm today, 22 May 2009.  I walked around Fort Worth this morning to get the layout of the town.  Two blocks from Bass Hall I stopped in at a place for breakfast and started a conversation with the girls who worked there.  They had no idea the Van Cliburn competition starts today, but one of them really wants to go, as she is a pianist.   So, only 20 minutes in town and I got another person to come to hear these fine pianists!  The other girl playfully asked "would Billy Joel be there?  I said, "as fine a pianist as Billy Joel is, any of these contestants would run circles around him"...  (I sensed that she might have a hard time conceiving of that!)

I took photos of some banners heralding the competition--they look home-made.