We would like to congratulate some of our alumni who have participated in a number of competitions over the summer.

Jaewon Wee recently won 2nd Prize at the Klein International String Competition. Seohyun Kim took 1st Prize at the Cooper International Competition. Boha Moon and Yeyeong Jin were both awarded prizes at the Zhuhai Mozart Competition.

Guido Sant’Anna performing at the Final Round of the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition. Image courtesy Damien Posse.

We were delighted to hear that three Menuhin Competition alumni received prizes at this year’s Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition. Guido Sant’Anna took 1st Prize with his performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Alexander Joel. Guido plays a fine 1833 Iorio violin, on loan from the Menuhin Competition Trust with the kind support of the Fondation Caris, Geneva.

Ikuko Morimoto, Director of Fondation Caris, Geneva, with Guido Sant’Anna and Menuhin Competition Trust President, Joji Hattori

Guido will receive a €20,000 cash prize and several concert engagements with orchestras such as the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana. He will also have the opportunity to record with Naxos and perform with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Raphael Nussbaumer received 4th Prize and Elli Choi received 6th. Congratulations to all of the participants! Watch all rounds of the competition online via the Violin Channel here.

The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis also saw wins from members of the Menuhin Competition family. Sirena Huang, laureate at the 2006 Boulogne-sur-Mer Menuhin Competition, won the Gold Medal and will receive a USD $75,000 cash prize, a recital at Carnegie Hall, a CD recording and four years of career management. Minami Yoshida was awarded the Bronze Medal and Claire Wells and SooBeen Lee were awarded 4th and 5th Place respectively. We would like to offer our congratulations to all of the young violinists.

Ray Chen has recently been loaned one of the world’s best violins by the Nippon Foundation – the 1714 ‘Dolphin’ Stradivarius. The violin was played by virtuoso Jascha Heifetz between 1950 and 1965. It is believed that the instrument was given its nickname by former owner George Hart, who called it the ‘Dolphin’ for its striking appearance and rich colouring. We very much look forward to hearing Ray perform on this fantastic instrument, considered to be one of the three very best violins made by Stradivari.  

Image courtesy Tam Lan Truong

María Dueñas will be returning to Los Angeles next month to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel from 6th-9th October. María will be performing Altar de Cuerda, an electrifying violin concerto composed for her by Gabriela Ortiz. After María premiered the piece in LA in May, the Los Angeles Times described her as “exceptional” with a “purposefully focused” tone. María and the LA Philharmonic will also perform at Carnegie Hall in New York on 25th October.  

Chloe Chua has been announced as the 2022-2023 Artist-in-Residence with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. SSO’s Music Director Hans Graf said of Chloe, “[…] when she speaks with her violin, she’s a grown-up. She’s an adult musical soul. And she’s the quickest pro I have worked with in a while.” The SSO have made a livestream available of Hans Graf’s inaugural concert with the orchestra, with Chloe performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5. You can watch it online here. Chloe also performed at the Copenhagen Summer Festival this year and you can watch her performing Tchaikovsky’s Meditation in D minor with pianist Poul Rosenbaum here.  

Image courtesy Brett & Lindsey Clarke (Made of Pixels)

Coco Tomita has been signed with Askonas Holt as part of their Lies Askonas Fellowship. Under the scheme, Coco will receive mentorship, tailored career coaching and guidance. Earlier this year, Coco released her debut album Origins with pianist Simon Callaghan through Orchid Classics which has received top reviews from The Strad, Gramophone Magazine, BBC Music Magazine and The Guardian, amongst others.