Next year’s contest will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the great violin prodigy
Entries for the Menuhin Competition 2016 open today – on what would have been legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin’s 99th birthday.
Due to be held at London’s Royal Academy of Music from 7-17 April next year, the competition will be judged by former laureates Julia Fischer, Ray Chen, Tasmin Little, Ning Feng and Joji Hattori, in addition to pianist Jeremy Menuhin, Korean violinist Dong-Suk Kang, director of the Verbier Festival Martin Engstroem and jury chair Pamela Frank. The event is held in partnership with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Southbank Centre and the Yehudi Menuhin School
Junior Division candidates must be under 16 years of age and Senior Division candidates under 22 years on 17 April 2016. In addition to cash prizes, the winners will receive concert opportunities and instrument loans – of a golden period Stradivarius by J&A Beare for the Senior Division winner, and a fine old Italian violin by Leonhard’s Fine Violins for the Junior Division winner.
As 2016 marks Yehudi Menuhin’s 100th anniversary, the competition repertoire will include works particularly associated with the violinist, including Bartók’s Solo Sonata written for Menuhin in 1944, and music by his mentor George Enescu.
Founded in 1983 by Yehudi Menuhin, the competition for violinists takes place every two years in a different city. Previous winners include Julia Fischer, Ilya Gringolts, Tasmin Little, Nikolaj Znaider, Ray Chen and Chad Hoopes. Winners of the 2014 Senior and Junior Divisions were Stephen Waarts and Rennosuke Fukuda.
For more information and to enter the 2016 competition visit menuhincompetition.org.
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