Violin - my/maSCENA

Guillaume Villeneuve (Photo by La petite photographe)

Guillaume Villeneuve (violin) – Opus Discovery of the Year Prize

By Kristen Whittle on 6 October 2023 Music Competition, Violin

Violinist Guillaume Villeneuve does not see his instrument as a tool with which to produce sound, but rather emotion. Aiming to connect with his audience at any opportunity, Villeneuve seeks to tell the stories behind the music he plays. “Music is about taking risks,” he said. Thus far, these risks have paid off for the up-and-coming artist. Winning Discovery of the Year category at this year’s Opus Prize ceremony was well deserved after his immense success in the 2022-23 season. Villeneuve said the prize has been “very important” for his career development, and is especially poignant considering “many, many musicians”…

Aline Homzy et l`étoile magique

Toronto Tones: The Rights of Strings

By Marc Chénard on 6 October 2023 Scena Jazz, Toronto, Violin

Dominated by brass, reeds and drum kits, string instruments have never figured prominently in the world of jazz music. With the exception of the double bass, other bowed instruments are not heard that much in more conventional forms of jazz, free improvised music being somewhat more accommodating to them. If cellists and violists are seen or heard rarely, violinists have had the most exposure in jazz settings. Pioneering figures like Eddie South and Joe Venuti held their ground in the era of classic jazz, as did Europeans Stéphane Grappelli and Svend Asmussen and, more recently, consummate fiddlers such as Jean-Luc…

Photo: Jag Gundu

Review | Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky Masterworks Elevated by Star Power

By Denise Lai on 26 May 2023 Classical Music, Orchestral, Toronto, Violin

How do you top a musical program of a world premiere paired with two classical warhorses? You add a star soloist from violin royalty. This week’s program is true to music director Gustavo Gimeno’s vision for the TSO’s centennial to introduce new commissions along with the familiar. The TSO commission and world premiere entitled “Hwa (Flowering)” is a new work from its own Affiliate Composer, the young Alison Yun-Fei Jiang. Jiang wrote this piece as a tribute to her grandmother and all the women who shaped her life. She describes the piece as a musical painting, an orchestral canvas on…

Newswire | Ukrainian Dmytro Udovychenko Wins CMIM Violin 2023

By Newswire on 5 May 2023 Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Montreal, May 5, 2023 – Violinist Dmytro Udovychenko from Ukraine has been awarded the Grand Prize of the Violin 2023 edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). Demonstrating a remarkable mastery of technique and brilliant musicality, violinist Dmytro Udovychenko distinguished himself in the Final, and throughout the 2023 Violin Edition. The Grand Prize winner of Violin 2023 was also recognized by special prizes. The Final took place on the evenings of May 3 and 4 at the Maison symphonique, as six finalists performed a concerto of their choice with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), the official orchestra…

Photo: Tam Lan Truong

Newswire | The Concours musical international de Montréal Announces its Six Finalists

By Newswire on 1 May 2023 Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Montreal, April 30, 2023 – Following a closely contested Semifinal, the names of the six finalists of the Violin edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) were announced this evening in Bourgie Hall. Emotions were palpable as the jury, chaired by Richard Rodzinski, revealed the results. The 12 semifinalists of Violin 2023 gave us an extremely high-level competition featuring a succession of memorable performances. Since April 25, 24 violin virtuosos from 11 different countries have been vying to rise through the ranks of this prestigious Montreal competition. Chaired by Richard Rodzinski, the international jury is comprised of: Koichiro…

Newswire| CMIM: Violin 2023 Semifinalists

By Newswire on 28 April 2023 Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Twenty-four young violinists dazzled us with their talent, their virtuosity, and their musical artistry, over the course of the First Round of the 2023 Violin Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM), which took place on April 25, 26, and 27. Following the conclusion of this first stage of the competition, the jury has selected twelve Semifinalists. Here are the 12 violinists selected for the Semifinal, in order of appearance: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 2 pm 1. Dmytro UDOVYCHENKO (Ukraine) | pianist: Francis Perron 2. Nathan MELTZER (United States) | pianist: Umi Garrett 3. Michael SHAHAM (Israel) | pianist: Jinhee Park Saturday, April 29, 2023,…

CD Review | Fauré: Après un rêve / Lalo: Espérance (Deutsche Grammophon, 2022/3)

By Andrea Rush on 28 March 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Chamber Music, Piano, Violin

Fauré: Après un rêve / Lalo: Espérance María Dueñas, violin; Itamar Golan, piano Deutsche Grammophon (2022-23) No stranger to Canada, María Dueñas made her mark in Montreal at the age of 16, as a contestant in the 2019 CMIM Violin edition. Not long thereafter, she performed a prize-winning interpretation of Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at the Menuhin Competition and landed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. She continues to receive invitations to play with leading orchestras, including the TSO. To the sheer delight of audiences in Toronto, Ottawa, New York and Chicago, her fiery performances of the Symphonie Espagnole this…

CMIM 2023: our predictions

By La Scena Musicale Team on 26 March 2023 Music Competition, Violin

by Béatrice M. Cadrin, Rasha Masalkhi and Andrea Rush Béatrice Cadrin has extensive experience as a freelance violinist with ensembles in Quebec, Germany and California. Rasha Masalkhi is a tenured violinist with the Ensemble Obiora. Andrea Rush lives in Toronto, is a former violist with Orchestra Toronto, and former violist with the Strings Attached Orchestra, both local community orchestras. This year, as with every iteration of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM), La Scena Musicale has called upon a team of experts to make predictions about the candidates. The 2023 edition of the competition will be dedicated to the…

Review | TSO: Tarmo Peltokoski and Jonathan Crow Memorable

By Andrea Rush on 2 February 2023 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Toronto, Violin

It was a wintery night, and the program was particularly well suited for those who braved the storm warnings. The trek to Roy Thomson Hall to hear Shostakovich 5 & Crow Plays Brahms was well rewarded. Listeners voted with their feet and the thunderous multiple standing ovations for guest conductor Tarmo Peltokoski and violinist Jonathan Crow, the TSO’s beloved concertmaster. The selection of pieces and the performances were timely and memorable. What you missed? Protégé guest conductor Peltokoski has reportedly received almost as many prizes as his age, 22. His conducting is detailed, insightful and clear and according to his…

photo: Kevin Lloyd

Violinissimo: Esprit Orchestra Aims High

By Eva Stone-Barney on 4 November 2022 Classical Music, Contemporary, Orchestral, Violin

At first glance, the premise may sound simple: one concert, four violin concertos. The seasoned classical concert-goer, however, will understand just how ambitious an endeavour this is, and that this sort of programming is practically unheard of. Who would do such a thing? Alex Pauk, of course—the same person who was told that a full-sized orchestra devoted to the performance of contemporary music was never going to survive for longer than a year, and who has been conducting that very orchestra for 40. On Nov. 27, Esprit Orchestra will present its second concert of the ambitious 40th anniversary season, Violinissimo.…

Browsing: Violin