Music Competition - my/maSCENA

NOVO Quartet. Photo: Maya Matsuura

NOVO Quartet (string quartet) – Geneva Competition

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

The NOVO Quartet made a lasting impression at the 2023 Geneva International Music Competition, earning first prize alongside four other awards. This recent achievement follows many others for the ensemble as they continue to showcase their years of dedication to music, which for each member began at ages 6 through 8. A unifying factor for the ensemble—violinists Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard and Kaya Kato Møller, violist Daniel Śledziński and cellist Signe Ebstrup Bitsch—is their belief in the connectivity of music. Some of their most satisfying experiences have been witnessing the excitement of audiences less familiar with classical music, and then meeting…

Meagan Milatz. Photo: Antoine Saito

Meagan Milatz (piano) – Prix Opus Discovery

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

Pianist Meagan Milatz’s ambition is undeniable as she adds the 2024 Prix Opus “Discovery of the Year” to her accomplishments. When asked about future goals, Milatz can list several as she continues to push herself to new limits at every opportunity. She says she is most excited about the concert series HausMusique @ Le 9e Grande Salle, which she and cellist Cameron Crozman launched in Montreal as Co-Artistic Directors. The next concert date is set for Nov. 5. Milatz grew up on a grain farm in southeast Saskatchewan and attributes her inspiration to pursue a career in music to Cherith…

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…

Jingjing Xu. Photo: Tam Lan Truong

Jingjing Xu (mezzo-soprano) – Mirjam Helin Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Opera

McGill graduate Jingjing Xu is the 2024 winner of the prestigious Mirjam Helin Competition held in Helsinki, Finland. The Montreal-based, Chinese mezzo-soprano says that competition selections such as Saariaho’s “Attente” and Ravel’s “Le paon” maximized her opportunity to demonstrate different styles and vocal colours. The first song “contains long notes that must be performed straight-tone and with long crescendi or decrescendi, (in order to) depict stillness and loneliness,” she notes. In a completely different vein, the Ravel required her to narrate the courtship of a peacock! Xu approaches singing from an imaginative standpoint, celebrating how “it creates a spiritual world…

Henry From.

Henry From (piano) – Shean Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

Winner of the 2024 Shean Piano Competition, Henry From is a budding pianist and composer with a passion for music’s power to move, whether that be emotionally or intellectually. “I love music’s ability to convey emotions and feelings that are hard to put into words,” he says, “and I love the way it gives us a portal into past periods and the extremely complex minds of great geniuses of the past.” From also says that he hopes to “help bring works outside the standard repertoire canon” into the spotlight, allowing listeners to access composers whose works have hitherto been neglected.…

Emily Richter. Photo: Todd Rosenburg

Emily Richter (soprano) – Met Opera Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Opera

“My commitment to being a full-time musician really crystallized when I was in high school in London (UK) and was a member of the London Youth Choir and the National Youth Choir,” says soprano Emily Richter. “I got a sneak peak into what life as a musician could look like, and I knew I wanted more.” Richter chased this dream, studying Vocal Performance at Lawrence University and completing a master’s in Voice and Opera Performance at McGill University. Her musical journey led to further training as an Apprentice at Santa Fe Opera and then, as a Resident Artist at Pittsburgh…

Arin Sarkissian. Photo: Zach Mendez

Arin Sarkissian (flute) – Michael Measures Prize

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Winds

Flutist Arin Sarkissian doesn’t have the traditional origin story of a classical musician, having instead grown up with a relative disinterest in classical music and being unable to land a spot in his high school’s symphony orchestra. But the 2024 Michael Measures Prize winner’s success is a testament to the power of strong role models and his genuine love of music and performance. Sarkissian is particularly grateful to several of his teachers—professors Leone Buyse (Rice University) and Jim Walker (LA’s Colburn School), his first flute teacher Lilit Hovhannisyan, and mentor Christinia Yoo (affectionately called “Tina Teacher”)—for encouraging his musical development.…

Photo : Frances Marshall

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: Canada’s Latest Piano Star

By Shirley Wu on 7 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko’s name has rapidly risen to prominence in the classical music world in the last few years. He was named one of CBC’s ”30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” in 2021. In 2022, he won first prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, first prize at the Maria Canals International Music Competition, as well as first prize and gold medal at the 20th Santander International Piano Competition. In 2023, he spent the year performing in renowned halls all over the world. And this year, his victories at the 2024 Montreal International Music Competition in May…

International Vocal Competition Final 2024. Photo: Sarah Hickson

Portuguese Cláudia Ribas Wins 57th International Opera Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch IVC 2024

By Newswire on 6 October 2024 Music Competition, Newswire, Opera

After a thrilling and atmospheric finale, with Philzuid conducted by David Parry on 5 October in the Casinozaal of Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Portuguese mezzo-soprano Cláudia Ribas emerged the convincing winner of the 57th opera and oratorio edition of the International Vocal Competition‘s-Hertogenbosch 2024. She won the Grand Prix of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, consisting of a silver medal and a cash prize of €15,000, and received this grand prize from the hands of Mayor Mikkers of ’s-Hertogenbosch. In addition, 31-year-old Cláudia Ribas won the ANED Public Prize, the Wagner Prize and the Junior Jury Prize. During the…

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