On 4th April 2023, Guido Sant’Anna joined us in London to give a recital at 1901 Arts Club with pianist Nicola Eimer. Together, they performed works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Kreisler. The recital was hosted by the Menuhin Competition Trust in honour of the many achievements Guido has made since winning Junior 6th Prize, the Audience Prize and the Chamber Music Award at the Geneva 2018 Competition.

Guido Sant’Anna performing with pianist Nicola Eimer

As the jurors at the Geneva Competition were so impressed with Guido’s artistry, in 2019 he was loaned the use of a fine 1833 Iorio violin by the Menuhin Competition Trust with the support of the Caris Foundation. The use of this violin has allowed Guido to continue developing as an artist. Following the loan of a Vuillaume violin from luthier Marcel Richters, Guido came to London to return the Iorio violin and celebrate the many accomplishments he has made while playing it. We were delighted that, in September 2022, Guido received 1st Prize at the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition. Since then, he has made his debut with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, performed in venues across Europe and was included in the Forbes Brazil 2022 “Under 30” list.

Watch Guido performing Tchaikovsky’s Valse sentimentale with Nicola above

Guido was born in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and began his violin studies at the age of five with the support of his family. He gave his orchestral debut at age seven under the baton of conductor Julio Medaglia and has since given numerous performances as a soloist around the world, including in London, Gstaad, Madrid and New York. Guido is a Cultura Artística scholar and currently studies with Elisa Fukuda.

Austin 2014 alumni Kevin Lin has been loaned the Stradivari violin once used by the great Josef Gingold by the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Kevin is a highly sought after musician, currently serving as the Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the position of Co-Leader with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has appeared as Guest Concertmaster in the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Houston symphonies, London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

The 1683 Stradivari was acquired by Josef Gingold in 1946, and he performed with it until his death in 1995. Since then, the violin has been used by performers including Judith Ingolfsson, Barnabás Kelemen and Augustin Hadelich (2006).

On 26^th May 2023, the winner of Richmond 2021 Senior 2^nd Prize, Simon Zhu, will perform with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Simon will perform Mozart’s exciting and imaginative Violin Concerto No. 5 as part of a programme which includes compositions from Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Corelli and Haydn.

Our friends at ASFM have offered a 20% discount on Price B and Price C tickets when you use the code MENUHIN when booking online, via phone or in person. Book your tickets here.

Image courtesy Academy of St Martins in the Fields

We were delighted that several Menuhin Competition alumni have been included in the 2023 Classic FM “30 under 30” list, profiling upcoming artists. Chloe Chua, María Dueñas, Geneva Lewis and Mathilde Milwidsky have been highlighted for their recent achievements and have been included alongside other young trailblazing musicians. Read the full list here.

María Dueñas recently made her debut with our Richmond 2021 co-hosts, Richmond Symphony, under the baton of our juror Valentina Peleggi. María performed Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole before giving an encore of Alexei Igudesman’s Applemania.

María Dueñas with Dr. Ron Crutcher and Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher. Dr. Ron Crutcher previously served as the 10th president of the University of Richmond and provided instrumental support of the Richmond 2021 Competition.

Following her win of Senior 1^st Prize at the Richmond 2021 Competition, María signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Her debut album, Beethoven and Beyond, will be released on 5^th May 2023 in both digital and physical formats. The album was recorded with the Wiener Symphoniker and Manfred Honeck and includes original cadenzas for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto which María composed herself.

The winner of Geneva 2018 Senior 2^nd Prize, Nathan Mierdl, was recently appointed a new leadership role with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France as one of their first solo violinists, in rotation with Hélène Collerette and Ji Yoon Park. As well as being an experienced soloist and orchestral musician, Nathan is a passionate chamber musician, having founded the Gaïa Quartet in 2015. In 2022, he joined the Trio Metral.

Kerson Leong, who won Junior 1^st Prize at the Oslo 2010 Menuhin Competition, has announced his second album with Alpha Classics, juxtaposing the Violin Concertos of Bruch and Benjamin Britten. Recorded in London, UK, in January 2021 with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Patrick Hahn, the album will be released on 5^th May 2023.

Image courtesy Kerson Leong and Alpha Classics

Kerson will also be making his debut at Rockport Music this summer. On 23^rd June, Kerson will share a stage with another Menuhin Competition winner, Livia Sohn, who won Junior 1^st Prize at the Folkestone 1989 Competition, along with NY Philharmonic oboist/cor anglais player Ryan Roberts and the Rockport Chamber Orchestra to perform a programme of works by J.S. Bach and Arvo Pärt.