BREAKING | Senior Finalists Announced at Menuhin Competition Richmond 2021

The final round for the senior division will be streamed on The Violin Channel on May 22 at 7:30 PM ET

This year's senior finalists are:

• Karisa Chiu (21, United States)

• Hana Chang (18, Singapore/Japan/United States)

• María Dueñas (18, Spain)

• Simon Zhu (20, Germany)

 

 

For the final round, recorded virtually, each of the 4 senior finalists will perform, with piano, the first movement from either Lalo's 'Symphonie Espagnole', Mendelssohn's E Minor Concerto, Saint-Saens' 3rd Concerto or Wieniawski's 2nd Concerto, plus the 2nd movement from a Mozart Violin Concerto and a short piece of their own choice.

"I wanted to simulate a live event as much as possible," Competition Artistic Director Gordon Back this week told The Violin Channel.

"I didn’t want the performances edited because they could potentially take 100 go’s and cut in the best ones. They had to do it in one complete performance. We had a clock there, so we could check that it was being done live and within the timings. There was also a proctor there to prove it was actually that competitor playing.

"For the finals, I added the second movement of a Mozart concerto of their choice because when I played in Indianapolis, I remembered the words of Joseph Gingold who said, ‘You can tell more in the first four bars of a Mozart concerto than anything about somebody playing, especially in the slow movement,'" Gordon said.

This year's jury is comprised of violinist Pamela Frank (Chair), violinist and conductor Joji Hattori (Vice-Chair), violinist and entrepreneur Aaron Dworkin, pianist Piers Lane, violinists Soyoung Yoon, VC Artists Noah Bendix-Balgley and Angelo Xiang Yu, violinist, conductor, and educator Alf Richard Kraggerud, and conductor and Music Director of the Richmond Symphony, Valentina Peleggi.

The first prize winner of this year's senior division will receive USD $20,000 and a 2-year loan of a golden period Stradivarius violin from the private collection of Jonathan Moulds CBE courtesy of the Beare’s International Violin Society plus a bow made by Christophe Landon.

As a competition official media partner, all rounds will be streamed on The Violin Channel. You won't miss a beat.

Full competition and festival schedule available at: www.2021.menuhincompetition.org/program-tickets

 

MENUHIN COMPETITION RICHMOND 2021

SUNDAY 16TH MAY 2021

SENIOR DIVISION SEMI-FINAL ROUND

LIVE FROM RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

 

 

Eric Chen (20, Taiwan/United States) | Pianist: Dina Vainshtein

• Franck | Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV. 8, Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216, Allegro
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Ravel | Tzigane

 

Simon Zhu (20, Germany) | Pianist Alkistis Milioni

• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219, Allegro aperto
• Franck | Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV. 8, Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
• Ysaÿe | Caprice d'après l'étude en forme de valse de Saint-Saëns
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice

 

Emma Meinrenken (21, Canada) | Pianist: Su Jeon

• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219, Allegro aperto
• Poulenc | Violin Sonata FP. 119, Intermezzo
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• John Corigliano | Red Violin Caprices

 

Hana Chang (18, Singapore/Japan/United States) | Pianist: Lorena Tecu

• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat Major, K. 207, Allegro moderato
• Franck | Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV. 8, Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Ernst | Erlkönig

 

 

SUNDAY 16TH MAY 2021

SENIOR DIVISION SEMI-FINAL ROUND

LIVE FROM RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

 

 

Karisa Chiu (21, United States) | Pianist: Inah Chiu

• Mozart |  Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218 Allegro
• Ravel | Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Blues: Moderato
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Hubay | Carmen Fantasie Brilliante, Op. 3, No.3

 

Emily Shehi (22, United States) | Pianist: Jungeun Kim

• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat Major, K. 207, Allegro moderato
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Poulenc | Violin Sonata FP. 119, Intermezzo
• Ysaÿe | Solo Sonata No. 5 in G Major

 

Bohdan Luts (16, Ukraine) | Pianist: Olga Sitkovetsky

• Ysaÿe | Solo Sonata No. 4 in E minor
• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219, Allegro aperto
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Ravel | Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Blues: Moderato

 

María Dueñas (18, Spain) | Pianist: Evgeny Sinaiski

• Ravel | Tzigane
• Franck | Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV. 8, Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218, Allegro
• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice

 

Serin Park (17, South Korea/United States) | Pianist: Hyun Ju Jang

• Mark O'Connor | Menuhin Caprice
• Ysaÿe | Caprice d'après l'étude en forme de valse de Saint-Saëns
• Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216, Allegro
• Franck | Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV. 8, Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia