Dear Susanne,
We hope you had a good summer wherever you
spent it.
With autumn rapidly colouring the
leaves, we are now in the midst of planning the next
competition with our colleagues in Oslo even if it is
still 18 months away.
We have kept in touch with our
participants and have some exciting news to share.
By the way - did you know that Norway had its
own Paganini?
Read on and find
out.
|
| Jiafeng Chen tours
Wales |
Jiafeng Chen has left a
lasting impression with Welsh audiences and musicians
and has been asked to return to tour Wales together with
Sinfonia Cymru
under the baton of Gareth Jones. 
Jiafeng will play the Mendelssohn Violin
Concerto at The Gate in
Cardiff (on 31 October; Box Office 029 2048
3344 ), at the Pontyberem Memorial Hall
(on 1 November; Box Office 01269 870307) and at
The Riverfront
in Newport (2 November; Box Office 01633
656757) And in April next year Jiafeng will
return to St David's Hall with a lunchtime recital. More
details about that will
follow. |
| Outreach programme a role model for
other competitions? |
 The
European Union
of Music Competitions for Youth
(EMCY) has invited the Menuhin
Competition to present a seminar on its innovative
Outreach activities during the EMCY's annual conference
in Kiev (29 October - 2 November 2008).
Our programmes "Adopt a Competitor" and
"Competitors in the Countryside" for local schools and
music services in Wales have attracted more than 2,800
young people to the Competition.
Presenting our work as a case study to fellow music
competitions, the Menuhin Competition may become
something of a role
model.
|
| Celebrating Norway's Paganini - 200
years Ole Bull |
The Menuhin Competition 2010 in Oslo coincides
with the 200th birthday of Norway's most famous
violinist - Ole
Bull. 
Robert Schumann once wrote that Bull was among "the
greatest of all," and that he was on a level with
Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his
playing. Bull was also a friend of Franz Liszt and
played with him on several occasions.
The next competition will certainly make a point of
celebrating Ole Bull's birthday and take a closer look
at some Norwegian repertoire for violin. Whatch this
space for more
datails! |
| What some of our 2008 jury members
are up to |
 Paul
Watkins will be playing the Haydn
Cello Concerto in C major concerto at St James's
Piccadilly for Musicians against Nuclear Arms on Nov
15th and a recital at St Margaret's Catholic Church
in East Twickenham on December 9th. And Maxim Vengerov
is back on the podium with a baton on the
8th of December in Dublin. Together with Alison Balsom
and the Irish Chamber Orchestra playing a concert of
Tchakovsky, Hummel and
Beethoven. | |
| |
| Chad Hoopes has been signed by
IMG Artists |
 |
|
Junior 1st Prize Winner Chad Hoopes has just been
signed by IMG Artists after having had a number of
approaches by music managers following his performance
during the Menuhin Competition Cardiff
2008.
Together with IMG, the competition is
now planning to bring Chad back to Europe next year
with performances at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad
and recitals in London, Wales and Oslo. More
details to follow
shortly. |
| Oslo Opera House joins the team
of hosts in Oslo |
 |
|
This outstanding team has just been joined by
another landmark organisation - the Oslo Opera
House. The impressive new building will be
the venue for the Competition Gala Concert on 25 April
2010. |
|
| Want to take part in the next
Competition? |
 |
|
We are always looking for the next young
"Menuhin"!
If you are an exceptionally talented young
violinist and you will be younger than 22 years by
the 25th of April 2010, you might want to apply to take
part in the next competition.
The competition is open to candidates from all over
the world. Junior competitors must be under 16 years of
age and senior competitors under 22 years of age.
22 competitors in each section will be chosen
by an international preselection jury from all complete
applications received.
Full application details (with
repertoire for the application DVD and for the
competition) will be published in April next
year; application deadline will be the 31 October
2009.
| | |
