Latest news – Page 245
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Cellist Alisa Weilerstein receives $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship
Alisa Weilerstein will receive $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years after being named as a MacArthur Fellow. The 29-year-old cellist was awarded the so-called 'genius' grant by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Weilerstein was one of 22 individuals chosen as 2011 MacArthur Fellows. ...
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Rodolfo Lipizer Competition win for violinist Stefan Tarara
Stefan Tarara has won first prize at the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition in Gorizia, Italy. The 25-year-old German, who studies with Zakhar Bron at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, received €12,000. Second prize was shared between 24-year-old Ermir Abeshi, from Albania, and Maria Milchtein, 25, ...
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London Philharmonic Orchestra suspends cellist and violinists
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) has suspended four of its musicians for up to nine months after they signed a letter calling on the BBC to cancel a Proms concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Cellist Sue Sutherley and violinists Tom Eisner, Nancy Elan and Sarah Streatfeild were among ...
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Violin pupils set world record for mass violin playing in Taiwan
A total of 4,645 children from Changhua county in central Taiwan played their violins together in a stadium on Sunday 18 September. The event, which was witnessed by a Guinness World Records official, set a new world record for mass violin playing. The previous record was set in London in ...
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Cellist David Finckel to co-direct new Korea festival
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han will direct a new festival in South Korea this December. Chamber Music Today will feature performances by the Emerson Quartet, the Jupiter Quartet, and a trio comprising Finckel, Han and violinist Philip Setzer. The venue for the festival's three main concerts is the ...
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Belarusian cellist Aleksei Kiseliov joins Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has appointed 26-year-old Aleksei Kiseliov as its principal cello. The Belarusian musician studied with Raphael Wallfisch at the Royal College of Music in London, and with Natalie Clein at Trinity Laban.
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British bassist jazz composer and educator Graham Collier dies
British jazz bassist and composer Graham Collier has died suddenly at the age of 74. Born in Tynemouth in 1937, he became an army musician after leaving school at the age of 16. He then won a scholarship to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, becoming ...
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Chinese cellist Bonian Tian wins Enescu Competition
Chinese cellist Bonian Tian has won first prize at the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest, Romania. The 25-year-old, who studies with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, received €15,000. Second prize in the cello division went to Valentin Radutiu, 25, from Romania. Michael Korman, also 25, from ...
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London Philharmonic Orchestra suspends violinist after 'rant'
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has suspended one of its violinists after she delivered an anti-Israel diatribe at a pre-Proms event. The incident happened at a Proms Plus Intro session at the Royal College of Music ahead of the BBC Proms concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), which was repeatedly ...
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Violinist Igor Yuzefovich appointed Hong Kong Philharmonic concertmaster
Moscow-born Igor Yuzefovich has been appointed as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's new concertmaster. The Russian violinist will take up the post on 1 January 2012. The orchestra has also announced the appointment of Li Bo as co-principal viola. Since 1991 Yuzefovich has been based in the US. He ...
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European museums complete project to put instrumen collections online
Eleven European museums have completed a two-year project to provide online access to their instrument collections. The Musical Instruments Museums Online (MIMO) initiative cost more than €3m, with half of the funding coming from the EU. The project partners include the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the University of ...
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Cellist Yo-Yo Ma to receive Kennedy Center nod
Yo-Yo Ma has been named as one of five performers who will be honoured for their contribution to US culture at this year's Kennedy Center honours. The cellist will join fellow honorees saxophonist Sonny Rollins, Broadway singer Barbara Cook, singer–songwriter Neil Diamond and actress Meryl Streep at a gala ceremony ...
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Violinist Kristian Winther and violist Stephen King join Australian String Quartet
The Australian String Quartet has recruited two new players to replace departing members Sophie Rowell and Sally Boud. Violinist Kristian Winther and violist Stephen King will join the quartet for the start of the 2012 season. Winther, 27, was born in Canberra, and was violinist in the Tinalley String ...
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UK violinist to play on Himalayan peak
A British violinist is aiming to set a new world record for the highest musical performance on land next month. Hugh Midford, 27, plans to climb a 20,305-feet (6,189m) peak in the Himalayas, and play some Bach sonatas when he reaches the summit. The violinist will be raising money ...
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Violinist Stephanie Jeong appointed Chicago Symphony Orchestra associate concertmaster
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has appointed Stephanie Jeong as associate concertmaster. The 24-year-old Jeong joins the CSO from the New York Philharmonic, where she has been a member of the first violin section since November 2010. Jeong, who grew up in Chicago, studied with Aaron Rosand at the ...
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Demonstrators disrupt Proms concert by Gil Shaham and Israel Philharmonic
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators repeatedly interrupted last Thursday's BBC Proms concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. A live broadcast of the concert, in which Gil Shaham played the Bruch First Violin Concerto, was twice taken off air by the BBC because of 'sustained audience disturbance'. The protests were greeted by boos, shouts ...
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Violinist Giora Schmidt to take on Liszt B minor Piano Sonata transcription
Philadelphia-born violinist Giora Schmidt is set to give the first performance of a transcription for solo violin of Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor. The sonata, one of Liszt's most famous and difficult works, was transcribed by Noam Sivan, a pianist and composer who teaches at the Curtis Institute of ...
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Hurricane Irene scuppers Tanglewood Festival's finale concert
The Tanglewood Music Festival cancelled the last concert of the season because of the approach of Hurricane Irene. Lorin Maazel had been due to conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. According to the orchestra, it was the first time a concert had had to be cancelled ...
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BBC tells orchestras: use earplugs
The BBC has published a report warning the musicians in its five orchestras that they are at risk from damaging their hearing. The 48-page report, written by the BBC's safety manager, includes a number of recommendations for players who want to protect themselves against noise while rehearsing or performing. ...
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Russian violinist Marianna Vasilyeva wins Sion-Valais Competition
Russian violinist Marianna Vasilyeva has won first prize at the Sion-Valais International Violin Competition in Switzerland. The 24-year-old, a student of Zakhar Bron in Cologne, received $15,000. Second prize went to JiEun Anna Lee, 16, from South Korea. Mizuki Chiba, 15, from Japan, took third prize. Vasilyeva previously won ...