VC LIVE | 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition [LIVE NOW]

This year's edition of the Primrose International Viola Competition will be held from December 13 to 18 at The Colburn School - and will be streamed LIVE here on The Violin Channel

 

Established in 1979, and named after the prominent viola virtuoso William Primrose, the competition is open to violists of any nationality 29 years and younger. The first prize winner will receive USD $15,000. 

Each of the live round participants will compete in the Quarter-Final Round on December 13 and 14, 2021. Eight competitors will advance to the Semi-Final Round, taking place on December 16, 2021.

All rounds of this year's competition will be streamed LIVE here on The Violin Channel.

 

THURSDAY DECEMBER 16 | 12:00 PM (ET)

2021 PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | QUARTER-FINAL ROUND | SEMI-FINAL

COLBURN SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES

 

 

Keoni Bolding (24, United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 In C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Hindemith Sonata For Solo Viola Op. 11, No. 4

• Ligeti | Viola Sonata | 4th Mvt 

• Efrem Zimbalist | “Tango,” “Malagueña” and “Zapataedo” from Sarasateana for Viola and Piano  (transcribed by W. Primrose)

Nicholas Swensen (22, Denmark/United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Rebecca Clarke | Sonata for Viola and Piano

• Vieuxtemps | Elegie For Viola and Piano, Op. 30

Brian Isaacs (21, United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Arnold Bax | Sonata for Viola and Piano

Natalie Loughran (24, United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Brahms | Viola Sonata Op. 120, No. 1 in F Minor

• Schubert | Am Tage Aller Seelen (Arr. Primrose)

 

Ursula Steele (25, United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• George Rochberg |  Sonata for Viola and Piano

• Bach/Kodály | Chromatic Fantasy, BWV 903

 

Samuel Rosenthal (21, United States)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Arnold Bax | Sonata for Viola and Piano

• C.P.E. Bach Solfeggietto (Arr. Primrose) 

Mingyue Yu (21, China)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Rebecca Clarke | Sonata for Viola and Piano

Sohui Yun (26, South Korea)

• Mozart | String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 | 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Robert Schumann | Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 105 | 1st & 2nd Mvts

• Hindemith | Sonata (1939) for Viola and Piano

 

TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 | 12:00 PM (ET)

2021 PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | QUARTER-FINAL ROUND | DAY TWO

COLBURN SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES

 

Ursula Steele (25, United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 11 No. 5 | 4th Mvt

• Paganini | Sonata per la Grand Viola (Arr. Arad)

• Juan Orrego-Salas | A Greeting Cadenza for William Primrose

Samuel Rosenthal (21, United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola (1937) | 1st & 3rd Mvts

• Errollyn | Lavinia

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

Mingyue Yu (21, China)

• Reger | Suite No. 2 for Solo Viola in D Major

• Errollyn | Lavinia

• Carl Maria von Weber | Andante e Rondo ungarese (Trans. Primrose)

Chuxuejie Zhang (25, China)

• Paganini | Sonata per la Grand Viola (Arr. Arad)

• Jessie Montgomery | Rhapsody No. 2 for Solo Viola

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1

Andy Park (20, United States/South Korea)

• J.S. Bach/Kodaly | Chromatic Fantasy

• Valeria Romero | Anachece

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

Sohui Yun (26, South Korea)

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 11 No. 5 | 4th Mvt

• F.A. Lascurain | Novel Voices | 2nd Mvt

Semin Yim (18, South Korea)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor

• Efrem Zimbalist Sr. | "Tango" from Sarasateana (Trans. William Primrose)

• Jessie Montgomery | Rhapsody No. 2 for Solo Viola

Emiko Yuasa (26, Japan)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 31 No. 4 | 3rd Mvt

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

• Arthur Kampela | Bridges

Soyoung Cho (23, South Korea)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola (1937)

• Efrem Zimbalist Sr. | "Malagueña" from Sarasateana (Trans. William Primrose)

• Ulysses Kay | Sonatine for Viola and Piano

Jiwon Kim (21, South Korea)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor

• Juan Orrego-Salas | A Greeting Cadenza for William Primrose

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

Yitong Guo (28, China)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor | 1st & 2nd Mvts

• Robert Schumann | Adagio und Allegro (Trans. Y Guo)

• Carlos Guastavino | Bonita Rama de sauce

Hannah Burnett (23, United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1 | 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mvts

• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson | Lament for Viola and Piano

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

 

MONDAY DECEMBER 13 | 12:30 PM (ET)

2021 PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | QUARTER-FINAL ROUND | DAY ONE

COLBURN SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES

 

 

Danielle Wiebe Burke (29, Canada)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola (1937) | 1st & 2nd Mvts

• Cassadó | Requiebros for Cello and Piano (Trans. D.W. Burke)

• Derrick Skye | Hum for Solo Viola

Mathis Rochat (27, France/Switzerland)

• Ligeti | Violin Sonata | 1st, 2nd & 6th Mvts

• Rachmaninoff | Two Pieces Op. 2 (Arr. M. Rochat)

• Arthur Kampela | Bridges

Keoni Bolding (24, United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1

• S. Dixon Vanderveer | Bagatelles for Strings

• Puccini | Tosca Paraphrase | Act II (Arr. Keoni Bolding)

Eunbin Lee (18, South Korea)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

• Jessie Montgomery | Rhapsody No. 2 for Solo Viola

Sengyun Kim (28, South Korea)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

• Piazzolla | Tango Etude No. 3 (Arr. for Solo Viola)

Karolina Errera (28, Russia)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 11 No. 5 | 2nd & 4th Mvts

• Prokofiev | "Juliet the Young Girl" from Romeo and Juliet (Arr. V. Borisovsky)

• Florence Prince | Adoration

 

 

MONDAY DECEMBER 13 | 4:30 PM (ET)

2021 PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | QUARTER-FINAL ROUND | DAY ONE

COLBURN SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES

 

 

 

Nicholas Swensen (22, Denmark/United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

• Florence Prince | Adoration

Sara Ferrández (26, Spain)

• Reger | Suite No. 1 for Solo Viola in G minor | 1st & 2nd Mvts

• Jessie Montgomery | Rhapsody No. 2 for Solo Viola

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

Brian Isaacs (21, United States)

• Florence Price | Elfentanz for Viola and Piano (Arr. Carr/Petrova)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 11 No. 5

• Paganini | Moses Fantasy for Viola and Piano (Arr. B. Isaacs)

Natalie Loughran (24, United States)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1

• William Grant Still | Suite for Violin and Piano (2nd Mvt Arr. N. Loughran)

• Florence Price | Elfentanz

Yizilin Liang (20, China)

• Hindemith | Sonata for Solo Viola Op. 25 No. 1 | 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Mvts

• Paganini | La Campanella (Trans. Primrose)

• Juan Orrego-Salas | "Mobili" | 1st Mvt

Chih-Ta Chen (23, Taiwan)

• Reger | Suite No. 2 for Solo Viola in D Major

• Florence Price | Adoration

• Enescu | Concertstück for Viola and Piano

 

This year, the competition will require quarter-finalists to present at least one work by a BIPOC composer, alongside other works of their own choice.

The jury will include Barry Shiffman (Chairman), Andrés Cárdenes, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Heifetz, Mai Motobuchi, Dimitri Murrath, and Chauncey Patterson.

The first prize winner will also perform at the 2022 American Viola Society Festival and 47th International Viola Congress in June 2022.

“After a prolonged period of closure, it is especially meaningful this year to be able to present, in-person, the Primrose International Viola Competition in collaboration with the American Viola Society,” Sel Kardan, President and CEO of the Colburn School, said.

“We look forward to hearing the next top soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral players, and pedagogues on campus. These talented young musicians are an inspiration and testament to perseverance during the challenging pandemic period, and this will undoubtedly be an uplifting week of music and celebration,” he said.

Usually held every three years, the competition was originally started by the American Viola Society 1979 to recognize and encourage extraordinary young violists

All rounds of this year's competition will be streamed live on The Violin Channel. You won't miss a beat.