Semi-finalists Named in 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition

January 12, 2026 at 09:42 AM · As from ~ "Apostle" of Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein, American born Violinist Carrier of Heifetz - Milstein Violin Legacy's, Elisabeth Matesky ~ Re Tuning & Comment on wonderful Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition ~ {#1}

With reference to the Subject Laurie Niles poses about How string players continually Tune their Violins, Violas, Violoncellos and Double Basses, I could Only vote "Something Else" due to my own Lifetime usage of my own Ear and which when honour studying with Jascha Heifetz in his Original Jascha Heifetz Violin Master Class, {also subsequently filmed with all 7 of our JH VMC Films on YouTube and other sites globally}, held at USC's Institute for Special Music Studies, Mr. Heifetz on one of our first JH Master Class forums begged the Question: "How many of you, pupil's, have Perfect Pitch??" Immediately, every Hand of all Seven of us went up! Mr. Heifetz, aka, "God" of the Violin responded to All 7 of us by saying "We will participate in my Perfect Pitch Test designed to root out any not possessing Perfect Pitch!"

From Mr. Heifetz's Proclamation, JH proceeded to Test each and every one of us and in a precisely designed progression of simple sounds to identify from his Bechstein Grand Piano (used by Brooks Smith, JH Pianist for All our Twice Weekly on Tuesdays & Thursdays Violin focused Master Class JH mentoring} and on Friday's for Chamber Music with Master's Heifetz, Violoncello colleague Gregor Piatigorsky and Violist Colleague, William Primrose, which was formidable yet if well prepared a magnificent Experience making music also with our string cousin class-mates of Piatigorsky (aka, Nathaniel Rosen, later Gold Medal Winner of the Tchaikovsky International Violoncello Competition in Moscow, circa 1978 and others) plus William Primrose Viola pupil's on Occasion and most sought after Honour, to be Heifetz invited to sit in with himself, Violin I, and also Primrose, Viola plus Piatigorsky, Violoncellist, which happened to fall right from my perspective One Glorious Friday afternoon, sitting Second Violin to Jascha Heifetz's Violin I, with Primrose, Viola, and Gregor Piatigorsky, Violoncello in both Mozart and Haydn String Quartets all being read Led by The GOAT Violinist on Earth, Jascha Heifetz! More on this at another time but suffice to say, Mr. Heifetz, upon our last note in a final Allegro of a Mozart String Quartet reached out to me with his Hand to shake mine saying these words: "Good Job, Liz!" and I reached his outstretched Godly Hand barely able to speak from surprise to say to a smiling widely Heifetz, "Thank You, Mr. Heifetz!" This is being mentioned in sync with Laurie's Question and request to learn about many Violinist.com Members habits and about the general approach to Tuning the Instrument, the Violin and all other String Cousin's in all manner of Music Making with Others ...

I have forever throughout my Life of playing the Violin, tuned using my Own Ear for Pitch! And my Hand was amongst 3 or 4 of the 7 of us when Mr. Heifetz asked How many of us had Perfect Pitch! The 'Jascha Heifetz Perfect Pitch Test' included a simple start of plain notes and in succession to identify in nano seconds then progressed to a few chords of 2 {double stops} and on the chords of 3 getting a bit more involved and finally Chording of All 4 Strings which one always encounters as a Violinist offering the Unaccompanied Sonatas & Partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach for Violin! More of my Jascha Heifetz Violin Master Class Violin classmates did not pass Mr. Heifetz's Perfect Pitch Test yet Mr. "H" never placed any blame on those who when JH Asked raised their Hands in the affirmative thinking They possessed Perfect Pitch! Out of the Seven of us, only two were Heifetz pronounced to possess "Perfect Pitch" which did include Erick Friedman and yours truly, myself, and very honoured due my training at home from a great teacher/mentor, my Father, fabled Strings Expert, Ralph Matesky, who had trained his own daughter from Aged 3 and about the value and the Must Have Perfect Pitch if wishing to Solo Violin Play in my future with a Mother, noted by her Mentor, Professor Arnold Schoenberg, Founder of Atonal Composition & honour teaching at UCLA, who engaged my 'Savant' at birth Mother born with gifts of Harmony and Transposition abilities to adapt to all Key Signature changes in any sort of composition she Impromptu played on the Piano for All Schoenberg Advanced Classes @UCLA for Professor Schoenberg's Theory; Form & Analysis, plus Orchestral Structure and Composition Classes which when lecturing on his Atonal Composition techniques constructing all Orchestral and Chamber Symphony (Opus 1, 9 b) Orchestral compositions employed & the need for All ensembles wishing to perform these at the time almost near impossible to Hear Atonal Sounds which "Momma" could do in nano seconds, flawlessly which inspired Professor Arnold Schoenberg to engage my Mother to-be for his Advanced UCLA Classes as his Pianist and also sharing immense duties with Leonard Stein and often Weekly ...

My "Heifetz Perfect Pitch Test" proclaimed by Mr. Heifetz has sustained my International Concert Violin Soloist Career for Decades never having to rely on the Oboist in any Orchestra although not withstanding major and recognised superb 'Top Tier' symphony orchestras globally! If one is playing a major violin concerto with a Regional Symphony Orchestra and the Oboist is Off Pitch one's Ears are trusted with often an Oboist minus Ego adapting to the violinist perfect A if either 440 or 441 or a variation due frigid weather (aka, in Helsinki, FI, in Winter!) Frigid Cold and with agreed Need to Tune even in between Movements if playing a Violin Concerto so Loved, Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto almost a Finnish National sort of "Anthem" to all Finn's so loving their Master Composer & Internationally regarded as the "Most Moral Composer since Ludvig van Beethoven", Full Stop! The tuning of all concert soloists including all of our String Cousins, playing as soloists is demanding depending on the Country and the Time of Year when giving Concerts and tuning needed due Jet travelling across the World and in long international flights from One Continent to yet another ... This may or may not include other V.com Members who, hopefully, will write in with their own specific experiences from youth to their current ages and adapted to current Needs. I would encourage all who may Reply to use your Best that Works for You tuning procedure's because my own situation is birth gifted from a Mother who at birth had gifts for Harmony and Transposition: aka, Abilities to Hear All Sounds in relation to each other and in a most advanced compositional way via Arnold Schoenberg's Atonal Sounds in his Composition which few Major Orchestras across the World could and still try to offer as if a Beethoven easy to Hear All others in Sounds fused Perfection find easy at this time In Public Music Performance and Recording Studios with recordings made and "At International Pitch" which in my own concert playing soloist career has moved from A 440 to A 441 to even at one point in 1970s/80s moved further up to A442 in some Orchestras I was engaged to perform either the Brahms or Beethoven Violin Concerti!! One must adapt no matter where you play and When you Practise which is crucial for the maintainence of of a declared by teachers known to be Expert with Intonation on Violin and All String Cousins Pupil's to present refined and fused Music Making from pitch conscious Pupil's!!

A Word: for those loving Music on Violin and/or String Cousins other Instruments, I would suggest practising tuning your string instrument with a fine Tuning Fork and from the earlier Twentieth Century when Tuning Forks were made with precision and not what I have occasionally referred to as "Gimmicks" sold by a local music shop or other shops depending on your location at home or if in a foreign country at a major Violin House most of whom carry Tuning Forks or new devices which blow my own mind being an Old Fashioned Violinist with a Heifetz proclaimed sense of Perfect Pitch which has served my musical purposes most well over many decades of playing and in violin mentoring many International Pupils coming for Artist Teaching on major violin concerti repertoire. No matter what piece or scale in particular or Etude you are practising very carefully monitor your own self with a Check In device you may need to use if not sure of any perfect pitch and not to fret: Perfect Pitch is a {and as I learned from Mr. Heifetz}, a Gift of Birth and some have this and some do not have this but possess many Other Gifts most of us do Not Have at Birth like "Rainman" in the Sold Out Movie when Star, Dustin Hoffman, playing Raymond, the phycologically confused brother of Bro' played by Tom Cruise, possesses a Genius for numbers with unique abilities to add/subtract et al Numbers in Nano Seconds and is used by broke Bro, Tom Cruise, to make a fortune when they get to Las Vegas to Gamble in the Casino's in Las Vegas causing mayhem to Hotel Owners due Raymond's Savant Abilities at Birth to Add/subtract compute huge numbers to help his Brother win tons of Money then 'investigated' by the specific Hotel on 'the Strip' Then in the 1980s or 90s when this Academy Award Movie won an Oscar or Two or Three!! This Is a Savant Gift of Birth so if you happen to not possess 'Perfect Pitch' Never Fret! God has gifted All with what they need to follow their dreams in This Life, IMHO!

Thanking Laurie Niles, Editor of Violinist.com, for this most and always fascinating Subject, I offer New Year 2026 Greetings for good health; good work and Dreams achieved in this New Year as both fine musicians and discerning violin aficionados of both my Mentor's, Heifetz & Nathan Milstein!!

P.S. I will Reply regarding GOAT US Violinist, Elmar Oliveira's International Violin Competition when results are known and Thank Elmar, my friend, for his splendid gift to The World of Violin Artists Lifted Up via his immense generosity and graciousness in providing an honourable Violin Competition based solely on Merit!! Hugs to Elmar from Elisabeth 'M' in Chicago!

~ ~ ~ Yours sincerely from Chicago ~ ~ ~

.......... Elisabeth Matesky ..........

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