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Competitor Feedback

Find out what some of the hundreds of young violinists who have participated since 1983 say about their experiences of the Menuhin Competition.

Ziyu He and Yesong Sophie Lee, winners of the Senior and Junior 1st Prizes respectively in London 2016, share their reflections on winning here.

Angelo Xiang Yu, winner of the Senior 1st Prize in Oslo 2010, experienced the journey of a lifetime to arrive in time to compete through the chaos of the Icelandic volcano eruption. Read Angelo’s story here.

COMPETITOR FEEDBACK

Ruibing Liu (China) – Junior 3rd Prize winner 2018

I was very impressed with the staff’s hard work. Being guided by the jurors was really helpful for me, and the musical exchanges with the accompanist and the orchestra taught me a lot.
All of the other competitors’ performances were very exciting, and I got a lot of inspiration from them to help me improve.
I had an unforgettable time in Geneva – I loved the experience, and am particularly grateful to my host family.

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Nikola Pajanovic (Slovenia) – Senior semi-finalist 2018

I was honored to be one of the participants and appreciated every moment. The whole experience was priceless.

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Jiyee Jen Ahn (USA/South Korea) – Junior competitor 2018

I loved all the outreach events that were organized, and loved playing for every single person at the outreaches. Each and every person that I met, inspires me to keep on delivering music. From schools to refugee homes, Menuhin was a very precious experience I’ll never forget.

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Christina Jihee Nam (USA) – Junior competitor 2018

The Menuhin Competition was overall an amazing experience. I got to meet amazing and lifelong friends, the area was beautiful, and I learned so much about music.

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Guido Sant’Anna (Brazil) – Junior 6th Prize winner 2018

I loved participating in this competition, it was a wonderful experience. I’d like to thank everyone for all their help and patience!

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Sean Mori (USA/Japan) – Junior competitor 2018

It was an unforgettable experience! I had an amazing time and learned so much in just two weeks. I made lots of friends and hope to be back.

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Helen Hyun (USA/South Korea) – Junior competitor 2018

We really had a good time in Geneva for 2 weeks. All of the schedules and plans were great… I really enjoyed the programmes with the other competitors.

COMPETITOR FEEDBACK

Ria Honda (Japan) – Junior competitor 2016

It was an unforgettable experience! I had an amazing time and learned so much in just two weeks. I made lots of friends and hope to be back.

COMPETITOR FEEDBACK

Anne Luisa Kramb (Germany) – Junior 5th Prize winner 2016

Thank you for the last days in London, I really enjoyed the whole festival! The evening concerts were all great and also the talk with Mr Engstroem was very interesting.

Takumi Taguchi (Final)

Takumi Taguchi (UK/Japan) – Junior semi-finalist 2016

I really enjoyed the violin dealer visits and outreach programmes (especially the Young Menuhin Ambassador) as well as the competition itself… Our hosts were very kind, thoughtful, and helpful! Not only did they do perfectly what they had been asked to do by the competition office, they went extra miles and offered us dinner out, night driving in the city, and moral support as if they were our real family members. You couldn’t ask for a better host family than them and getting to know them was one of the highlights of the competition for us!

Yesong Sophie Lee

Yesong Sophie Lee (USA) – Junior 1st Prize winner 2016

My experience was very valuable. Chamber music hasn’t always been my thing but after I played the Dvorák, I really wanted to play chamber music again.

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Ariel Horowitz (USA) – Senior semi-finalist 2016 & Junior competitor 2012

The Menuhin Competition has changed my life! The competition itself is such a warm, enthusiastic, and pleasant environment – I have made some of my closest friends during my experiences in Beijing and again in London, and the feedback from the jury has shaped my learning process in a powerful way. Furthermore, the competition is truly an extension of the legacy of Yehudi Menuhin – in every aspect, competitors engage with the community, extending beyond the concert hall and into people’s lives who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to experience the beauty of music. I am deeply grateful that the opportunity exists for young musicians to springboard into an artistic community of the highest level – I am the violinist that I have become as a result of the Menuhin experience. Thank you so much!

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Jaewon Wee (Korea) – Junior 5th Prize winner 2014

The competition influenced my life and had a huge impact on my musical career. I have had many performance opportunities since then. It was a fantastic experience to meet other competitors and juries from all over the world. I am studying at Korean National University of Arts majoring in Violin. Also, I have been performing with many orchestras. I hope I can participate in the Senior part someday soon.

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Hannah Cho (USA) – Senior competitor 2012

I just wanted to say thank you again to you and the wonderful community at the Menuhin Competition. It was such a great experience for me at my first big well-known international competition. I was able to learn from the jury comments and from watching the other performances throughout the ten days.

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Leonard Fu (Germany) – Junior competitor 2012

I had a great time here; it was a big experience. Although I didn’t pass the final, I learned a lot of new things. This competition is so great because other competitions don’t give you the chance to talk with other competitors like this.

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Yehun Jin (Korea) – Junior 5th Prize winner 2012

It was a good experience, and it made me increase my level, not technically but on a human level, in terms of understanding music and getting along with everyone else. I’m very grateful for my win, and I will definitely come back.

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Eunice Kim (USA) – Senior competitor 2012

It was just such a learning experience and a friendly environment. The junior round just blew my mind. I think I learned more watching the rounds than anything I’ve ever been to, watching the younger kids do what they love to do. It was very inspiring. It was a lot of fun, and I made lots of contacts. And I learned a lot just talking to the jury.

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Jieming Tang (China) – Junior competitor 2012

I had fun, and I haven’t experienced that in any other competitions, I would definitely do it again. The competitors were so friendly and supportive, and we went out to have fun together.

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Jacqueline Tso (USA) – Junior competitor 2012

My experience at the Menuhin Competition truly changed my life. It was mind-blowing how high the level of playing was, and a reality check of some sort for me. Being at the Menuhin Competition helped me realize what I needed to improve in musically, and started a journey of lifelong learning. Also, I met my current teacher (Li Lin) at the competition, and for that, I am forever grateful!!

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Angelo Xiang Yu (China) – Senior 1st Prize winner 2010

One thing I remember the most was the friendly environment in the competition – all the participants were so nice and warm to each other, and even the juries were extremely open to questions and concerns.

Angelo experienced the journey of a lifetime to arrive in Oslo in time for the Competition through the chaos of the Icelandic volcano eruption. Read Angelo’s story here.