12 July 2010 - Chad Hoopes invited back to Menuhin Festival

2008 Junior 1st Prize winner Chad Hoopes was invited again to perform at this year's Menuhin Festival in Gstaad/Switzerland. His performance last year had wowed audiences and organisers, who immediately wanted to bring him back. Chad will return to Gstaad as part of the Menuhin's Heritage series on 19 August with an exciting recital repertoire, with pianist and Competition Director Gordon Back.

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July 2010 - Callum Smart on Ole Bull Tour in the UK

Inspired by Harld Herresthal's research about Ole Bull's time and work in the UK - Carreglwyd in Wales to be precise - the Menuhin Competition has arranged a tour in partnership with the Norwegian Embassy.

"A Load of Ole Bull" - a three-part event comprising a recital by Callum Smart, Junior prize winner of the Menuhin Competition Oslo 2010 and Finalist of the BBC Young Musician 2010, accompanied by Competition Director Gordon Back, a talk on Ole Bull by his biographer Harald Herresthal and a screening of Aslak Aarhus’s compelling 2006 documentary, which tells the story of Bull’s extraordinary life with fine musical contributions by violinist Henning Kraggerud.

Callum, Gordon and Harald will be in at Chetham's in Manchester on 2nd July, Carreglwyd on 4th July and at the Cheltenham Festival on 5th July 2010.

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June 2010 - Junior Winners 2008 and 2010 perform together in Ottawa

During this year's Summer Music Institute Young Artists Programme, founded by Pinchas Zukerman, two of our 1st Prize winner have an opportunity to meet, talk and play together. Canadian Junior 1st Prize winner Kerson Leong got together with Chad Hoopes, Junior winner of the 2008 competition. "They got on great and had a lot of experiences to share" says Kerson's mother. Their encounter culminates in the performance of Wieniawski's caprices in a concert for the Governor General.

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24 April - Senior Prize winners nominated

Four Senior finalists have wowed Oslo's audiences at the Opera House with their performances of Sibelius' and Prokofiev's violin concertos; each of them played twice in the course of the evening. The finalists were accompanied by the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra (KORK) with Markus Lehtinen conducting.

Following a short deliberation, the jury announced the Prize Winners as follows:

1. Prize - Xiang Yu, China

2. Prize - Nigel Armstrong, USA

3. Prize - Suyeon Kang, Australia

4. Prize - Ji Won Song, Korea

The Prize Giving ceremony will take place before the Gala Concert, which is equally taking place at the Oslo Opera House tomorrow.

Note that reviewing the web stream of the performances will take some time to publish; it should be available around 12.00h CET on 25 April.

23 April - The best Junior Finals ever

Audiences and jury were completely overwhelmed by the performances of the eight Junior Finalists in a sold out concert hall at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Livestreamed and live broadcast via the EBU, the contestants have delivered some amazing performances, which can be reviewed on our media page.

After short deliberation, the jury announced the Junior Prize winners of this year's Menuhin Competition.

1. Prize Junior - Kerson Leong 
2. Prize Junior - Stephen Waarts
3. Prize Junior - Ji Eun Anna Lee
4. Prize Junior - Taiga Tojo
5. Prize Junior - Callum Smart

Guro Kleven Hagen was awarded the EMCY award for Music

Both Artistic Director Gordon Back and Jury Chairman Erich Gruenberg stated that the competition has never seen such level of playing at the Junior Finals before. Supporting these outstanding performances was a fantastic orchestra of players from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Barratt Due Music Institute under the baton of Per Kristian Skalstad. 

The Senior Finals will take place at the Oslo Opera House on 25 April and the Prize giving ceremony will take place before the Gala Concert on Sunday at 5.30pm.

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22 April - Senior Finalists chosen

Nine competitors performed in the Senior Semi Finals on Thursday. Their individual 35 minute performances included a Beethoven quartet, a quick study work, Arne Nordheim’s Partita fuer Paul and a virtuoso work of their own choice. In the early evening the jury announced the results of who will be going forward to the Finals at the Oslo Opera House on Saturday 24 April. The level of playing was very high and choosing only four finalists was not an easy task for the jury. “You all played really fantastically well” said jury chairman Erich Gruenberg when he announced the Finalists:

• Ji Won Song
• Suyeon Kang
• Nigel Armstrong
• Xiang Yu

The jury was very impressed by the way the Semi Finalists played a work by Arne Nordheim. It inspired the president of The Menuhin Competition Trust, Joji Hattori, to award a special prize of 5000 Norwegian crowns to the best performance of Nordheim’s Partita fuer Paul.

Mr. Gruenberg was in no doubt that even though not all nine of the competitors made it to the finals, they can all look forward to great careers as musicians. Stating also that the standard of the competitors seemed to rise from competition to competition, he encouraged the musicians to search as much for the spirit in music as for the technique.

The Senior Finals will take place at the Oslo Opera House with the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra (KORK) on Saturday at 19.30 CET. Book your tickets now - they are selling fast!

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21 April - Jury announces Junior Finalists

After an exciting two days of Junior First Rounds, with the last competitors arriving on the morning of the 21 April, the jury has nominated the Junior Finalists. Despite the travel chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption, 19 out of 20 nominated Juniors arrived in Oslo on time to perform.

The jury has nominated the following Junior competitors to proceed to the Junior Finals on Friday 23 April (start from 14.00h CET):

• Kerson Q Xun Leong
• Guro Kleven Hagen
• Alice Ivy-Pemberton
• Callum Smart
• Seung Hee Lee
• Ji Eun Anna Lee
• Taiga Tojo
• Stephen Waarts

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19 April 2010 - Jury announces Senior Semi-Finalists

The jury has nominated the following Senior competitors to proceed to the Semi-Finals on Thursday 22 April (start from 11.00h CET):

• Ji Won Song
• Christopher Tun Andersen
• Joanna Emilia Kreft
• Suyeon Kang
• Ji Yoon Lee
• Eric Gratz
• A. Timothy Chooi
• Nigel Armstrong
• Xiang Yu

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18 April - Changes to jury panel for the First Round

Competitors and jury alike are trying to come to Oslo by all means but not all could arrive in time for the start of the competition. Three concertmasters - Tim Frederiksen from Copenhagen/Denmark, Christer Thorvaldsen from Gothenburg/Sweden, Winfried Ruessmann from Hamburg/Germany and the Competition Director Gordon Back from London/England have stepped in for the first round of the competition.

Ruessmann, Thorvaldsen and Frederiksen jumped in cars, on ferries and, buses and trains to make it to Oslo in time. All jury have great admiration for the the determination of this year's competitors to make it to Oslo. During yesterday's lunch break many experiences were shared of long trips and nearly missed performances.

Erich Gruenberg, Hu Kun and Lidia Baich are sharing the competitor's experiences, all of them also travelling by train, car and ferry to Oslo.

The competitors can be sure to find a jury panel with a lot of sympathy for the extraordinary and partly very exhausting efforts it took to get to Oslo - and perform despite it all.

We wish everyone good luck and look forward to today's performances. Join us on the web stream.

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IMPORTANT - Travel Advise for Competitors in transit

We urge all competitors in transit to find alternative train and ferry transport to Oslo. Please contact the competition office at +47 233 672 15 or email your transport details to office@menuhincompetition.org .

The Office staff will try to help you find rail or ferry connections and assist as much as possible in helping you to make your way to Oslo.

Last performance possibilities for late arrivals are as follows:
Seniors must be ready to perform on stage by Monday 19 April 8pm

Juniors must be ready to perform on stage by Wednesday 21 April 8pm

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17 April 2010 - Business as (un)usual

Competition kicked off with fantastic Opening Concert. "A full hall, excellent playing and terrific atmosphere" says Artistic Director Gordon Back. And despite the travel chaos in Europe, all concerts will take place as scheduled.

Travelling competitors keep up the spirit; Boson Mo and Eric Silberger practicing at Newark airport

The Competition will start with the Senior First Round on Sunday 18 April at 12pm; Junior Rounds start on Tuesday at 10am. All timetable changes will be published shortly.

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15 April - Travel to Competition disrupted by Icelandic volcano erruption

Travel of competitors, jury and visitors to Oslo has been disrupted today by the volcano erruption in Iceland.

The competition will start one day later but all concerts including the Opening Concert will take place as scheduled.

We urge all competitors in transit to find alternative train and ferry transport to Oslo and contact the competition and email their transport details to office@menuhincompetition.org

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2008 senior winner Ray Chen signed with CAMI and Sony Classical

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ Violinist Ray Chen, who captivated the classical music scene with his consecutive victories at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2009 and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 2008, has signed an exclusive multi-year recording contract with Sony Classical. In February of this year, Mr. Chen signed a worldwide general management contract with CAMI Music. Read full press release at PRNewswire

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Olympics of the Violin 2012: The Menuhin Competition goes to Beijing

Zamira Menuhin Benthall

(London, 03/03/2010) The Menuhin Competition Trust is delighted to announce that its 2012 Competition will be held for the first time ever outside Europe. It will be hosted in Beijing, China by the Central Conservatory of Music April 6-15, 2012. “Yehudi would have been thrilled!” says Menuhin’s daughter Zamira Menuhin Benthall. The connection between Menuhin and China goes back a long time. Yehudi Menuhin was the first Western musician to receive an Honorary Professorship from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 1979. Read full press release

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A rare honour for music competition

HM King Harald V

His Majesty King Harald of Norway has agreed to be the Royal Patron of the Menuhin Competition Oslo 2010. This is an honour that the Competition shares with few other Norwegian cultural organisations. “We are very privileged that King Harald has agreed to become the Competition’s patron”, says Eirik Birkeland, leader of Oslo Host Organisation, the partnership of music establishments hosting the 2010 competition. Read full press release

Image © Cathrine Wessel/Det Kongelige Hoffet

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42 competitors from 10 countries selected

The international pre-selection jury consisting of Gordon Back (UK), Erich Gruenberg (UK) and Olivier Charlier (France) has selected 22 Senior and 20 Junior candidates from 140 applications. Entries came from 29 nations around the globe. The youngest competitor will be 12 years of age and the oldest 21. Candidates are looking forward to their stay in Oslo: "I am overwhelmed by joy at being invited to the Menuhin Competition 2010 in Oslo. For a young violinist it is a dream come true to be able to participate in such a prestigious event." And the level of playing displayed on the audition DVDs promises to make for fantastic performances next April.

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16-year-old Fumiaki Miura wins the Hannover International Violin Competition

In 2006 Fumiaki Miura impressed the jury of the Menuhin Competition, then winning 2nd Prize of the Junior division at the age of 13. This year he entered the Hannover International Violin Competition as second youngest competitor. With technical precision, impressive virtuosity and heart-warming performances he not only convinced the International Jury (and won the First Prize), the Music Critics‘ Jury (for the Music Critics‘ Prize), but he also won over the audience, scooping up the newly awarded Audience Prize as well. Fumiaki Miura is the youngest ever winner of the Hannover Competition.

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Mindy Chen wins 1st Prize at International Competition for Young Violinists in Lublin

Mindy Chen, 3rd Prize winner of the Junior division of the Menuhin Competition Cardiff 2008, has won a joint 1st Prize at the 11th International Competition for Young Violinists in Lublin (Poland). 62 candidates entered the first round and 17 advanced into the second stage. Candidates were judged by 16 international jurors under the presidency of Zakhar Bron.

Mindy Chen shares the 1st Prize with Japanese violinist Mone Hattori.

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Christophe Landon organises Ole Bull Guarneri del Gesù Project

Internationally renowned violin maker, restorer and dealer Christophe Landon is organising an exciting project around Ole Bull's famous Guarneri del Gesù violin.

Violinmakers of the world are invited to make a copy of the ‘Ole Bull’ 1744 Guarneri del Gesù violin.

All copies will be on display at the Norwegian Academy of Music during the entire competition in Oslo next April.The copies will looked and and played by some of the world's most talented players and the project will culminate in a concert of the music by Ole Bull, played on some of the copies displayed.

For more details on the project and how to enter visit The Ole Bull Project.

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Chad Hoopes on Europe Recital Tour

In August Chad Hoopes, 1st Prize Junior winner 2008, will be touring Europe with a recital programme. He will be accompanied on the piano by Competition Director Gordon Back

Chad Hoopes and Gordon Back will perform at the following festivals and venues: Oslo Chamber Music Festival (20 Aug), The Menuhin Festival in Gstaad (22 Aug), the Machynlleth Festival (25 Aug) in Wales and at 1901 Arts Club in London 26 Aug).

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30 May 2009 - Ray Chen wins Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Brussels

We are thrilled to announce that Ray Chen, Senior 1st Prize winner of Menuhin Competition Cardiff 2008, has just won 1st Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. He has also been awarded the Klara-Canvasprijs Prize of the public of the VRT (the Flemish Radio and Television corporation).

Soyoung Yoon, Senior 1st Prize winner of the Menuhin Competition 2002 has been awarded 6th Prize at The Queen Elisabeth Competition. For all prize winners and laureates click here.

The first three laureates perform at the closing concert on June 16th with deFilharmonie-Royal Flemish Philharmonic, cond. Jaap van Zweden. Ray Chen, Lorenzo Gatto and Ilian Garnet will also give concerts in Hasselt (11/06), Antwerp (12/06), Ghent (13/06), Leuven (17/06), Mons (20/06) and Bruges (21/06).

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Menuhin 2008 Prize Winners in Queen Elisabeth Finals

This month all eyes and ears are on the renowned Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Belgium. Established in 1937 and with laureates ranging from David Oistrakh, Jaime Laredo and Gidon Kremer to Vadim Repin and Nikolaj Znaider, this is the "Senior Olymics of the Violin".  

Following the Semi-Finals, we are absolutely thrilled to report that Senior 1st and 2nd Prize winner of the Menuhin Competition 2008 - Ray Chen and Jiafeng Chen - and Senior 1st Prize winner of the Menuhin Competition 2002 - So-Young Yoon are in the Finals.   Their performances will be live streamed on the internet; for a timetable of performances click here. 

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April 2009 - Collaboration with Kronberg Academy - Menuhin 2008 participants winning Awards

To support and inspire our competitors and prize-winners beyond the competition finals, we have started an exciting collaboration with Kronberg Academy.   

Kronberg Academy is a leading private music Academy near Frankfurt in Germany. Adding to its numerous courses it has for the first time this year staged a series of violin masterclasses. "A Tribute to Yehudi Menuhin" included classes by Ana Chumachenco, Mauricio Fuks, Christian Tetzlaff and Pavel Vernikov. Described by a visitor as a "sort of a big violin party", the masterclasses attracted nearly 200 violinists from 42 countries.  

Five prize-winners and competitors of the 2008 competition and the Junior 1st Prize winner of the 2006 competition went to Kronberg on a scholarship to take part in the week of classes.   At the end of the week, the most promising talent were presented with an award. Guro Kleven Hagen and Hyeyoon Park are sharing the Prinz von Hessen Award of 2,500 Euro and that the Yehudi Menuhin Next Generation Award of 3,000 Euro was given to Hiroka Matsumoto.

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2 April 2009 - International Launch of Menuhin Competition Oslo 2010

Launch of Menuhin Competition Oslo 2010 to a record number of interested violinists around the world. At the beginning of April we published next year's repertoire and application details.   There have been a number of exciting additions and changes to the repertoire. Have a look!  Next year's jury will again be a fantastic mix of internationally acclaimed soloists and teachers.   The Competition is open to violinists of any nationality under the age of 22 (that's everybody born after 25 April 1988).  And application deadline is 31 October 2009.  For more details and downloads of application information click here. 

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January 2009 - Ray Chen wins Young Concert Artist's 1st Prize

January 20, 2009 – Senior 1st Prize winner of the Menuhin Competition Cardiff 2008 Ray Chen wins one of the seven first prizes awarded at this year's Young Concert Artists Auditions. The other prizes went to Ran Dank, a 26-year-old Israeli pianist; Jeanine De Bique, a 27-year-old Trinidadian soprano; Hahn-Bin, a 21-year-old Korean violinist; Bella Hristova, a 23-year-old Bulgarian violinist; Noé Inui, a 22-year-old Greek-Japanese violinist; and Carolina Ullrich, a 25-year-old Chilean-German soprano.

Each First Prize Winner was awarded a $5,000 career development grant, and will be presented in debuts in the 2009-2010 Young Concert Artists Series in New York at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, and in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The seven Winners join the roster of Young Concert Artists, Inc., which offers a minimum of three years of management services, including concert engagements, promotion, and career development.

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November 2008 - an exciting month for Jian Ren

Junior competitor Jian Ren has been awarded the prestigious Manoug Parikian Award by the Musicians Benevolent Fund (MBF). Previous violinists who received the award are Jennifer Pike and Jiafeng Chen.

And if you want to hear Jian Ren play again - he will perform Paganini's violin concerto No. 1 with the Folkestone and Hythe Orchestra on the 29th November at 7.30pm at the Saga Pavillion, Sandgate.  For tickets call Deni Bateson 01227 722614

The concert is being held in aid of the Pilgrims Hospices.

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October 2008 - Chad Hoopes signed by IMG

14-Year old American violinist and this year's 1st Prize Winner of the Junior Section Chad Hoopes joins IMG Artists for worldwide representation. IMG Artists say about Chad "At age 14, Chad Hoopes already possesses the kind of technical mastery, ease of expression and joyful talent that come along only once in a generation."

Among numerous other concerts, Chad will play a recital at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad in August 2009.

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October 2008 - Oslo Opera joins team of host organisations in Oslo

Oslo Opera House has joined the team of hosting organisations that have invited the Menuhin Competition 2010 to Oslo. Together with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra , the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Barratt Due Institute the Oslo Opera House will be host and venue during the next competition.

The next competition is scheduled to take place in the Norwegian capital from 16 to 25 April 2010. Information about application requirements and repertoire will be available in April 2009. Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first to receive it.

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June 2008 - Ray Chen & Maxim Vengerov in St Petersburg

Ray Chen has just been to the Aspen Music Festival and is shortly heading off to Russia to meet Menuhin Competition juror Maxim Vengerov again; this time to play together.

Maxim picks up the baton again, conducting the Mariinsky Theatre Simphony Orchestra in St Petersburg on 23rd June with Senior 1st Prize winner Ray Chen playing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. 

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April 2008 - Next Competition invited to Oslo

The Menuhin Competition 2010 has been invited to Oslo. It will take place from 16 to 25 April 2010.

It will be hosted by the leading Norwegian Music Organisations - the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra , the Norwegian Academy of Music, the Barratt Due Institute and the Oslo Opera House.

Information about application requirements and repertoire will be available in April 2009. Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first to receive it.

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April 2008 - First Prize Winners of the 2008 Competition are