Clara Shen, winner of Junior 4th Prize at the Menuhin Competition Geneva 2018, has been enjoying a fun summer participating in the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and the Rheingau Musik Festival!

Established in 1957 by Yehudi Menuhin, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy host over 75 concerts each year, all while creating a supportive atmosphere for young musicians through masterclasses and prominent performance opportunities.

While at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Clara performed a matinee concert with repertoire from Bach, Mozart and Saint-Saëns. Speaking about her experience at playing at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Clara said, “it was a great honour and pleasure for me to play there. The recital went wonderfully and I really enjoyed playing in the Festival.”

Clara participated in the String Academy, including masterclasses with renowned pedagogue Professor Ana Chumachenco, working on both technique and interpretation. She also joined in chamber music masterclasses with Professor Ivan Monighetti, working on a quartet influenced by traditional music from Azerbaijan. In amongst her busy schedule of masterclasses, Clara also very much enjoyed attending a recital by pianist Fazil Say, who performed a repertoire of Debussy, Chopin and Beethoven.

After a busy but exciting time at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and String Academy, Clara headed to the Rheingau Musik Festival, which was established in 1987 by Michael Herrmann. One of the factors that makes Rheingau Musik Festival a unique event is the wide range of genres that are featured in concerts – not only classical music but also jazz and cabaret.

Clara performed with Tatiana Chernichka, playing Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy amongst other works. After her performance, which was part of the festival’s “Klassik-Marathon” featuring several outstanding young musicians, Clara was awarded a special prize by HessenAgentur for her recital.

The Menuhin Competition Trust would like to thank our friends at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and the Rheingau Musik Festival for inviting Clara to participate. She has had a wonderful summer and we’re looking forward to her performance alongside Diana Adamyan, with Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein at Saal am Lindaplatz in Schaan, Lichtenstein, on 24th September 2019.

See photos from Clara’s summer adventures on our Flickr page here.