It’s still nine months away, but subscriptions to the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday. This edition, the 13th, will last more than two weeks, opening on May 22 and closing on June 7. The venue is, of course, Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.

An international lineup of 30 young pianists, still to be chosen, will compete for concert engagements valued at more than $1 million plus cash awards and other prizes. This time all six finalists will receive concert management contracts from the Cliburn organization, which should considerably lessen the pain for those not winning the top awards.

In addition to solo recitals, which all must play, semifinalists will play chamber music with the Takacs Quartet and finalists will add concertos with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon.

Subscription packages include preliminaries (10 sessions) for $90 gallery or $175 mezzanine, preliminaries plus semifinals (18 sessions) for $210 or $408, or all 24 musical sessions plus awards ceremony for $357 or $712. Single-ticket sales will open on March 13.

Sevan Melikyan, director of marketing for the Van Cliburn Foundation, says “We receive inquiries through the Internet for subscriptions every day. People from all over the world are making plans to attend.”

Tickets will be available Friday by calling 817-335-9000 or going to the Cliburn ticket web site.