Broberg practiced four to six hours a day leading up to the Cliburn, which attracts the best of the best young talent worldwide in piano performance. Much like an Olympic athlete, the training is rigorous, requiring physical endurance and mental acuity to compete. The contestants range in age from 18 to 30. This year, 30 finalists were chose from the 140 who auditioned. More than 300 pianists applied.