Violinist James Birch, violist Emad Zolfaghari, and the Renaissance Quartet each receive $5,000

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Photos: Micah Gleason, renaissancestringquartet.com, colburnschool.edu

Emad Zolfaghari, the Renaissance Quartet, James Birch

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New York’s Salon de Virtuosi has announced the recipients of its 2024 career grants. Australian–British violinist James Birch, Canadian violist Emad Zolfaghari and the New York City-based Renaissance Quartet each receive $5,000. The quartet comprises US violinists Randall Goosby and Jeremiah Blacklow, US violist Jameel Martin, and Canadian cellist Daniel Hass. The other grant recipients were soprano Milena Manocchia and pianist Juhee Lim.

Salon de Virtuosi is a nonprofit organisation aiming to discover and support young classical talent, with the 2024–2025 season marking its 36th anniversary. Birch and Zolfaghari will perform at the Salon’s Gala Awards Concert in October as the opener of the season, with a performance by the Renaissance Quartet planned for later in the season.

Previous grant-winners include violinists Elena Urioste and Daniel Hodos, cellists Zlatomir Fung and Sterling Elliott, and the Aizuri and Ulysses Quartets.

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