Strings - my/maSCENA

Leland Ko. Photo: Tam Lan Truong

Leland Ko (cello) – OSM Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 9 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Strings

Leland Ko, winner of the 2023 OSM Competition, has a wonderful capacity for reflection. The Chinese-Canadian cellist is open to what life has to teach him, and says what he enjoys most about his art form is the listening: “When we listen to others on stage with us—to people performing as we sit in the hall, or to ourselves play—I think we have the chance to find out something about ourselves or about others.” Despite claiming not to have a particular this-is-when-I-fell-in-love-with-cello moment, Ko can still pinpoint many joyful and moving memories connected to music. One of his favourite experiences…

Justin Saulnier. Photo: Anastasia Krachkovskaya

Justin Saulnier (violin) – Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 9 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Violin

Violinist Justin Saulnier started learning to play his instrument when he was 4 years old. Despite his many years of dedication to the art form, however, Saulnier admits the thought of pursuing a career in music did not really come into play until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Then, he started to use his free time to improve his knowledge and skills, and his teacher at the time, Donnie Deacon, guided him toward university auditions. Saulnier now studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music under the tutelage of Andrew Wan. Saulnier is the winner of the 2024 Eckhardt-Gramatté National…

Canadian Violinist Jacques Forestier and Angela Chan Share First Prize of Joseph Joachim Violin Competition

By Newswire on 28 September 2024 Music Competition, Violin

Hanover, 28 September 2024: 27-year-old Angela Chan (Hong Kong/China) and 19-year-old Jacques Forestier (Canada) share the first prize of 30,000 euros of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition 2024 in Hanover. Both impressed the international jury equally with their final concert and the world premiere of “Feder”, the commissioned work by Enno Poppe for the 2024 competition, and will now receive 15,000 euros each. The jury consisted of Juliane Banse (chair), Lorenza Borrani, Liza Ferschtman, Kim Kashkashian, András Keller, Gidon Kremer, Alexander Lonquich, Feng Ning, Kathrin Rabus and Stephan Zilias. The most outstanding three musicians of the competition, Kyumin Park, Angela…

Canadian Violinist Jacques Forestier Makes Finals of Joseph Joachim Violin Competition

By Newswire on 26 September 2024 Music Competition, Violin

PRESS RELEASE Hanover, 25 September 2024 The three finalists of the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition by the Stiftung Niedersachsen have been announced The final concerts will take place on 28 September in the Großer Sendesaal of the NDR Konzerthaus in Hanover and will be livestreamed. Angela Chan (27, Hong Kong/China), Kyumin Park (27, South Korea) and Jacques Forestier (19, Canada) are the finalists of the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover. They will receive a prize money of 10,000 euros each for reaching the final and are allowed to call themselves “Laureate of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition”.…

École-Atelier Bruand: A Passion for Instrument-Making

By Justin Bernard on 30 August 2024 Education, Interviews, Strings

The post-pandemic years have not been easy for Bruand Lutherie-Guitare. General Manager Pier Bergeron is now smiling again, not just for the start of the new school year, but for the longer-term projects that could redefine the training offered at this workshop/school, in partnership with CÉGEP du Vieux Montréal. “This year, we’re delighted to have had 21 candidates accepted for the Diplôme d’études collégiales en techniques des métiers d’art,” he says. “We’re back at a pace we haven’t seen for nine or ten years. It’s very positive not only for the employees and students, but also for the entire lutherie-guitar…

Justin Saulnier wins 47th E-Gré National Music Competition in Strings

By Newswire on 13 May 2024 La Scena Online, Music Competition, Strings

The 47th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition (E-Gré) for the performance of Canadian and contemporary music is pleased to announce its 2024 prize winners.

Weekly Lebrecht | Cantabile: Anthems for viola (Delphian)

By Norman Lebrecht on 12 April 2024 Lebrecht Weekly, Strings

I was never a fan of viola jokes. Just because the instrument is neither one thing nor the other doesn’t make it any funnier than a mezzo-soprano or a bass-baritone. It is what it is, with benefits. The viola spares you squeaky irritations of a violin and lugubrious growls of a mishandled cello. I like the viola. There, I’ve said it. What’s special about this release is the eclectic menu assembled by a young Jamaican-American, Jordan Bak, who is clearly going places. Bak opens with a three-minute Chant by Jonathan Harvey, dinking back and forth between tonal and post-tonal contemplation.…

Newswire | Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition Announces 2024 Finalists in Strings

By Newswire on 9 April 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Newswire, Strings

Brandon, Manitoba – The 47th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition 2024 in Strings: Violin, Viola and Cello, taking place at Brandon University School of Music from May 10-12, 2024, announces that the five selected final string players are: Danielle Greene (violin, NL), Juliana Moroz (cello, MB), Astrid Nakamura (violin, ON), Justin Saulnier (violin, ON) and Tiffany Yeung (violin, ON). Commonly known as the E-Gré, this annual event focuses on the exceptional performance of contemporary music by Canada’s top emerging artists. Created in 1976 as a tribute to composer, pianist, and violinist S. C. Eckhardt- Gramatté, the competition highlights Canadian music and…

CD Review | Rock Echoes (Leaf Music, 2024)

By Zenith Wolfe on 29 March 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Strings

On Rock Echoes, Kristan Toczko offers harp arrangements of famous rock songs. The experience may only be worthwhile for rock fans willing to forgive the limitations of the harp.

New Releases (April-May 2024)

By Wah Keung Chan on 29 March 2024 Discovery CDs, Piano, Strings

This section is an advertising supplement. To announce here, contact [email protected]. SONIX AND OTHER TONIX Jan Järvlepp, composer Trio Casals; Benda Quartet; Nishikawa Ensemble; Chelsea Meynig, flute; Antonello DiMatteo, clarinet; Lumír Kavík, double bass Navona Records NV6603 Release: March 15, 2024 SONIX AND OTHER TONIX is a collection of innovative chamber works from composer Jan Järvlepp. It combines elements from his most popular chamber and orchestral works, Pierrot Solaire and Garbage Concerto, respectively. Spanning a diverse range of topics and influences, SONIX AND OTHER TONIX exemplifies the iconoclastic creativity for which Järvlepp is known. Black Sea, Orange Tree Leah Plave,…

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