Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists
Encyclopedia
The Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, mostly referred to only as the Menuhin Competition, is an international violin
competition
for young players under the age of 22, founded by Yehudi Menuhin
. The competition is a member of EMCY.
in Kent
, England
in 1983.
The competition is an international violin
competition
for young players under the age of 22. Since 1983 the competition has attracted young violinists from around the world. Many of the participants and prize-winners have gone on to become international soloists. Among them are Tasmin Little
, Nikolaj Znaider
, Ilya Gringolts, Julia Fischer
, Daishin Kashimoto, Hu Kun
, Lara St. John
and Ray Chen
.
The Menuhin Competition combines a violin competition with a festival
of education
, music
and cultural exchange. All competitors stay throughout the entire event, often with local host families. To date the competition has been hosted in Folkestone, Boulogne-sur-Mer
in France
and at the Royal Academy of Music
in London
, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff
, the Norwegian Academy of Music
in Oslo
and in 2012 it has been invited by the Central Conservatory of Music
in Beijing
.
In addition to the competition rounds, the Menuhin Competition stages a series of concerts, master classes and outreach events. Recent competitions have been live-streamed on the internet.
The Menuhin Competition asks jury members to perform a concert and give a masterclass as part of their jury service. Past and present jury members include: Maxim Vengerov
, Renaud Capuçon, Pamela Frank
, Dong-Suk Kang
, Kyoko Takezawa
, Bruno Canino
, Raphael Wallfisch
, Igor Oistrakh
, Olivier Charlier and Miriam Fried. The Trustees of The Menuhin Competition are Duncan Greenland (Chair), Joji Hattori
(President), Farad Azima
, Celia Blakey, Sir John Boyd, John Hughes, Zamira Menuhin Benthall and Jeremy Menuhin. Artistic Director of the competition is pianist Gordon Back and General Manager is Susanne Barthelmes.
The most recent competition took place in Oslo
in Norway
from 16 to 25 April 2010. It was organised in partnership with the Norwegian Academy of Music
and the Barratt Due Institute of Music
, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
, the Oslo Opera House
and the Norwegian Council for Schools of Music and Performing Art. The next competition will be held from 6 to 15 April 2012 Beijing
at the Central Conservatory of Music
.
Menuhin Competition 2008
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
for young players under the age of 22, founded by Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
. The competition is a member of EMCY.
History
The first competition took place in FolkestoneFolkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1983.
The competition is an international violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
for young players under the age of 22. Since 1983 the competition has attracted young violinists from around the world. Many of the participants and prize-winners have gone on to become international soloists. Among them are Tasmin Little
Tasmin Little
Tasmin Little is an English violinist.She studied under Pauline Scott at the Yehudi Menuhin School and later at the Guildhall School of Music, coming to prominence as a string section finalist in the 1982 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition...
, Nikolaj Znaider
Nikolaj Znaider
Nikolaj Znaider is a Danish classical violinist and conductor.-Career:Born in Denmark to Polish-Israeli parents, Znaider studied with the eminent Russian pedagogue Boris Kushnir and drawing on this eclectic background his playing has been heralded in the Strad Magazine as "extraordinarily...
, Ilya Gringolts, Julia Fischer
Julia Fischer
Julia Fischer is a German classical violinist and pianist.-Biography:Julia Fischer, born in Munich, Germany, is of German-Slovakian parentage. Her mother, Viera Fischer , came from the German minority in Slovakia and immigrated from Košice, Slovakia to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1972...
, Daishin Kashimoto, Hu Kun
Hu Kun
Hu Kun is a Chinese violinist and conductor.-Biography:Hu Kun was born in China just before the Cultural Revolution and started playing violin and piano at age of six with his parents, and moved in the 70s to Beijing to be the soloist of the China Central Radio Symphony Orchestra, in 1980 he won...
, Lara St. John
Lara St. John
Lara St. John is a Canadian violinist known for her performances as soloist with orchestra and in recital.-Childhood:Lara St. John spent her early childhood in the City of London, Ontario...
and Ray Chen
Ray Chen
Ray Chen is a Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the first prize winner in the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition.-Biography:...
.
The Menuhin Competition combines a violin competition with a festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and cultural exchange. All competitors stay throughout the entire event, often with local host families. To date the competition has been hosted in Folkestone, Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, the Norwegian Academy of Music
Norwegian Academy of Music
The Norwegian Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the country's highest level of music education. As a university college, it offers both undergraduate and postgraduate...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and in 2012 it has been invited by the Central Conservatory of Music
Central Conservatory of Music
The Central Conservatory of Music is the national leading music school in Beijing, China.Founded in 1950, the Conservatory offers courses to both Chinese nationals and foreign students, and caters for all levels from primary up to postgraduate programmes...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
In addition to the competition rounds, the Menuhin Competition stages a series of concerts, master classes and outreach events. Recent competitions have been live-streamed on the internet.
The Menuhin Competition asks jury members to perform a concert and give a masterclass as part of their jury service. Past and present jury members include: Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov is a violinist, violist, and conductor who was born in the Soviet Union.-Youth:Born on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, Russia, to a family with musical tradition....
, Renaud Capuçon, Pamela Frank
Pamela Frank
Pamela Frank is an American violinist, equally well known as a soloist and as a proponent of chamber music.-Biography:She was born in New York City, the daughter of two pianists, Claude Frank and Lilian Kallir. She studied under Shirley Givens using the Givens Method, unlike many of her...
, Dong-Suk Kang
Dong-Suk Kang
Dong-Suk Kang is a South Korean violinist.-Biography:Kang played his first concert at the age of eight. He went to New York in 1967 to study at the Juilliard School and completed his education with Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music...
, Kyoko Takezawa
Kyoko Takezawa
is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded on both the BMG and RCA labels.She started her training in Japan as a part of the Suzuki Method program and was part of a tour of the United States. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School where her teacher was Dorothy DeLay. Ms...
, Bruno Canino
Bruno Canino
Bruno Canino is an Italian classical pianist and composer.-Early life:Bruno Canino was born in Naples, Italy in 1935, where he studied piano with Vincenzo Vitale. He continued his musical education in Milan, studying both piano and composition. His teachers included Enzo Calace and Bruno Bettinelli...
, Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch is a British cellist.Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians, his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who is one of the last known surviving members of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz...
, Igor Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh is a Russian violinist.He was born in Odessa, Ukraine and is the son of violinist David Oistrakh. He attended the Central Music School in Moscow and made his concert debut in 1948. From 1949 to 1955 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory, winning first prizes and international...
, Olivier Charlier and Miriam Fried. The Trustees of The Menuhin Competition are Duncan Greenland (Chair), Joji Hattori
Joji Hattori
is a Japanese violinist and conductor.-Biography:Born in Japan but raised in Vienna, Joji Hattori studied violin at the Vienna Academy of Music and sociology at Oxford University, and furthered his violin studies with violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Vladimir Spivakov. Joji Hattori's international...
(President), Farad Azima
Farad Azima
Farad Azima is a British Iranian industrialist, inventor and philanthropist.His postgraduate studies were at Leeds University, where he is an active alumnus. The diversity of his life and work extends from pioneering research in new technologies, to the worlds of design, culture and the arts.In...
, Celia Blakey, Sir John Boyd, John Hughes, Zamira Menuhin Benthall and Jeremy Menuhin. Artistic Director of the competition is pianist Gordon Back and General Manager is Susanne Barthelmes.
The most recent competition took place in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 16 to 25 April 2010. It was organised in partnership with the Norwegian Academy of Music
Norwegian Academy of Music
The Norwegian Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the country's highest level of music education. As a university college, it offers both undergraduate and postgraduate...
and the Barratt Due Institute of Music
Barratt Due Institute of Music
Barratt Due Institute of Music is located in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1927 by pianist Mary Barratt Due and violinist Henrik Adam Due. It is a private foundation which receives government funding for parts of its activities...
, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Oslo-Filharmonien is a symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra was founded in 1919, and has since 1977 had its home in the Oslo Concert Hall. The orchestra consists of 69 musicians in the string section, 16 in the woodwinds, 15 in brass, 5 in percussionists, 1 harpist, and 1...
, the Oslo Opera House
Oslo Opera House
The Oslo Opera House is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighborhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is operated by Statsbygg, the government agency which manages property for...
and the Norwegian Council for Schools of Music and Performing Art. The next competition will be held from 6 to 15 April 2012 Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
at the Central Conservatory of Music
Central Conservatory of Music
The Central Conservatory of Music is the national leading music school in Beijing, China.Founded in 1950, the Conservatory offers courses to both Chinese nationals and foreign students, and caters for all levels from primary up to postgraduate programmes...
.
Prize Winners
Menuhin Competition 2010- Senior 1st Prize –
Mainland ChinaXiang Yu, People's Republic of China - Senior 2nd Prize –
United StatesNigel Armstrong, United States of America - Senior 3rd Prize –
AustraliaSuyeon Kang, Australia - Senior 4th Prize –
South Korea Ji Won Song, Republic of Korea - Special Prize-"Violin Prize" –
Canada A. Timothy Chooi, Canada
- Junior 1st Prize – CanadaKerson Leong, Canada
- Junior 2nd Prize – United StatesStephen Waarts, United States of America
- Junior 3rd Prize – South Korea Ji Eun Anna Lee, Republic of Korea
- Junior 4th Prize –
JapanTaiga Tojo, Japan - Junior 5th Prize –
United KingdomCallum Smart, United Kingdom - EMCY Award –
NorwayGuro Kleven Hagen, Norway
Menuhin Competition 2008
- Senior 1st Prize – AustraliaRay ChenRay ChenRay Chen is a Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the first prize winner in the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition.-Biography:...
, Australia - Senior 2nd Prize – Mainland ChinaJiafeng Chen, China
- Senior 3rd Prize –
Soviet UnionEvgeny Sviridov, Russia - Senior 4th Prize – United StatesStella Chen, USA
- Junior 1st Prize – United StatesChad Hoopes, USA
- Junior 2nd Prize – Soviet UnionDmitry Smirnov, Russia
- Junior 3rd Prize – United StatesMindy Chen, USA
- Junior 4th Prize – Mainland China Ke Zhu, People's Republic of China
- Junior 5th Prize – South Korea Seohyun Lim, Korea
- Junior Composer’s Prize – South Korea Yu-Ah Ok, Republic of Korea
See also
- List of classical music competitions
- violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- For instruments related to the violin, see String instruments.
- Electric violinElectric violinAn electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
- Baroque violinBaroque violinA baroque violin is, in common usage, any violin whose neck, fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece are of the type used during the baroque period. Such an instrument may be an original built during the baroque and never changed to modern form; or a modern replica built as a baroque violin; or an...
- Stroh violinStroh violinStroh violin, Strohviol, or Strohviol, is a trade name for a horn-violin, or violinophone—a violin that amplifies its sound through a metal resonator and metal horns rather than a wooden sound box as on a standard violin. The instrument is named after its designer, John Matthias Augustus Stroh, an...
- Violin making and maintenanceViolin making and maintenanceMaking an instrument of the violin family may be done in different ways, many of which have changed very little in nearly 500 years since the first violins were made. Some violins, called "bench-made" instruments, are made by a single individual, either a master maker, or an amateur working alone...
- Basic physics of the violinBasic physics of the violinThe distinctive sound of a violin is the result of interactions between its many parts. Drawing a bow across the strings causes them to vibrate. This vibration is transmitted through the bridge and sound post to the body of the violin , which allows the sound to effectively radiate into the air...
- Composers for violin
- Classical violinists