Last week, winner of Richmond 2021 Junior 1^st Prize, Keila Wakao, joined us in London for a concert at Cadogan Hall in celebration of the life of Dr. Farad Azima. Dr. Azima was a Trustee of the Menuhin Competition from 2009 until his passing in 2020, and we remember him as a kind, generous and thoughtful individual whose support greatly contributed to the Competition. We would like to thank the Azima family for inviting us to celebrate with them.

Entry into the stage door at Cadogan Hall.

Keila performed a repertoire of Telemann, Piazzolla, Chausson and Wieniawski with our Artistic Director Gordon Back and guitarist Diogo Carlos. Amazingly, Keila had only learned the Piazzolla recently, and performed with Diogo after just one rehearsal.

Each piece of repertoire was chosen to highlight a different aspect of music loved by Dr. Azima. Keila’s performance was capped with encores of Kreisler’s Marche Miniature Viennoise and Chopin’s Nocturne. No. 20 in C-sharp minor, arr. Milstein, and she performed on a fine old 1745 G.B Guadagnini violin from the Florian Leonhard Fellowship.

As well as performing at London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall, Keila enjoyed time sightseeing in the city, with Covent Garden being a particular highlight of the trip. We would like to thank Keila and her family for joining us for a wonderful performance.

Fans of Keila will be able to see her performing live in Singapore in June 2022 with the Resound Collective. In January 2023, she will perform with the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Reading, Pennsylvania. Make sure you keep an eye on Keila’s website to stay up to date with her engagements and performances!

Keila with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, her father and the team at Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.