The Competition Jury

The Menuhin Competition is to date the only violin competition asking jury members to perform a concert and give a public masterclass thus offering outstanding education and entertainment to competitors and audiences alike.          

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The Jury 2010

Due to the travel chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption, the competition had to make changes to the jury panel as follows (see also NEWS item):

First Round Senior:
Gordon Back (UK), Kyoko Takezawa (Japan), Arve Tellefsen (Norway), Lars Anders Tomter (Norway), Tim Frederiksen (Denmark), Christer Thorvaldsen (Sweden), Winfried Ruessmann (Germany)

First Round Junior:
Erich Gruenberg, Chairman (UK), Kyoko Takezawa (Japan), Arve Tellefsen (Norway), Lars Anders Tomter (Norway), Hu Kun (China), Lidia Baich (Austia), Christer Thorvaldsen (Sweden), Winfried Ruessmann (Germany).

Senior Semi-Finals:
Erich Gruenberg, Chairman (UK), Kyoko Takezawa (Japan), Arve Tellefsen (Norway), Lars Anders Tomter (Norway), Hu Kun (China), Lidia Baich (Austia), Christer Thorvaldsen (Sweden).

Junior and Senior Finals:
Erich Gruenberg, Chairman (UK), Renaud Capucon (France), Kyoko Takezawa (Japan), Arve Tellefsen (Norway), Lars Anders Tomter (Norway), Hu Kun (China), Lidia Baich (Austia).

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ERICH GRUENBERG, UK (Chairman) is one of Britain’s most distinguished violinists. As a soloist he has appeared with all the major British orchestras and has toured throughout the world, collaborating with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras and Andre Previn. Erich Gruenberg has held the posts of concertmaster of the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He gives masterclasses and is invited to serve on juries around the world. In recognition for his services to music he has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Erich Gruenberg is Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.

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LIDIA BAICH (Austria)
Born in St. Petersburg to a family of musicians, Lidia Baich is regarded as one of the most extraordinary young violinists today. She started to play the violin at the age of four, won her first international competition at the age of eight and was awarded the title of ‘European Musician of the Year’ by Yehudi Menuhin in 1998. Lidia Baich performs in Europe’s major concert halls and tours internationally with some of the world’s leading orchestras. Lidia is also an active chamber musician and very much in favour of the classic crossover scene. Full biography

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RENAUD CAPUCON (France)
Renaud Capucon studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Gérard Poulet. In 2000 he was nominated “Rising Star” and “New talent of the Year”, in 2005 “Soliste instrumental de l’année” and in 2006 he received the “Prix Georges Enesco”. Since his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, Capucon has played with leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris. He performs in major halls and at international festivals worldwide. His recordings with Virgin Classics and EMI have received a number of awards. Renaud Capucon is also an active chamber musician, playing with Martha Argerich, Vadim Repin, Yuri Bashmet to name a few. Full biography

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PAMELA FRANK, (USA) has established an outstanding international reputation across an unusually varied range of performing activity. In addition to her soloist work with prestigious orchestras around the world and recitals on the leading concert stages, she is a sought after chamber musician with leading soloists and ensembles. Her accomplishments were recognized in 1999 with the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize. Pamela Frank is professor for violin at the Curtis Institute of Music. Full biography

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HU KUN (China & UK)
HU Kun started playing the violin at the age of three and went on to become China’s first ever prize winner of an international violin competition (the Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki in 1980). He later studied at the Menuhin Academy in Gstaad and went on to become an active international concert and recording artist. Recently HU Kun has also taken up conducting under the tutelage of Sir Colin Davies.
Hu Kun is Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London and a guest Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing, the Sichuan Chengdu Conservatory and the Xinhai Conservatory in Guangzhou. Full biography

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KYOKO TAKEZAWA (Japan)
Kyoko Takezawa began violin studies at the age of 3. She later studied with Dorothy DeLay, first at Aspen Music School, later at Juilliard. In 1986 she won Gold Medal at the Indianapolis Violin Competition. Today she is a sought-after soloist and tours worldwide with many of the world's leading orchestras. Also a highly accomplished chamber music performer, Kyoko Takezawa participates in international festivals.  A prolific recording artist, she can be heard on BMG's RCA Victor Red Seal label. She was recently awarded the prestigious Idemitsu Award for outstanding musicianship. Full biography

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ARVE TELLEFSEN (Norway)
Arve Tellefsen is one of Norway's most highly regarded violinists and performs with leading orchestras across the globe. Arve Tellefsen studied with Henry Holst and Ivan Galamian before embarking on an international career as soloist and chamber musician. A prolific performer and recording artist, his particular interest is in Nordic composers ranging from Grieg, Nielsen, Sibelius and Bull to Nordheim, Norway’s foremost contemporary composer. Arve Tellefsen is the founder of the annual Oslo Chamber Music Festival which features the cream of international artists.  Full biography

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LARS ANDERS TOMTER (Norway)
Lars Anders Tomter studied violin and viola with Leif Jørgensen, Max Rostal and Sándor Vegh. After winning the International Viola Competition in Budapest and the Maurice Vieux International Competition in Lille he started his solo career touring the US and Germany with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. He is one of today’s most highly regarded violists throughout Europe and the US, appearing regularly in major halls and at international festivals. Lars Anders Tomter is Professor at the State Academy in Oslo. Full biography

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MAXIM VENGEROV (Russia) is recognised as one of the world’s most exciting artists. He studied violin with Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, and won First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition in Poland and at the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Having reached the pinnacle of the musical world as an instrumentalist, Vengerov followed in the footsteps of his mentor, the late Mstislav Rostropovich and turned his attention to conducting, bringing his sensitivity and keen musicianship to the podium. Since 2005, Vengerov has been Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Full biography