Gustavo Dudamel Awarded the Glenn Gould Prize
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel has been awarded a $100,000 Glenn Gould Prize, an honor given every two years to "a living individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts." The award celebrates the Canadian pianist, writer and broadcaster Glenn Gould.
Dudamel currently is Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris. Born in 1981 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Dudamel began to receive wide recognition in 1999, when at the age of 18, he was appointed Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, composed of graduates El Sistema, a music and social justice program founded by José Antonio Abreu.
"It was one of the greatest honors of my life when, in 2008, my maestro José Antonio Abreu was named the Glenn Gould Prize Laureate," Dudamel said. "To now be awarded this prestigious prize myself, is something that fills me with a profound gratitude. The greatest art shines a light on our best selves, and offers a reminder of all that unites us. Likewise, the work of geniuses like Maestro Abreu and Glenn Gould is a beacon that shows us the path to create a better world together." Keep reading...
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Practicing Shifting by Speeding Up, Not Slowing Down
Practicing shifting for the first time can be, at worst, a frustrating experience. I remember that when I started shifting, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The target was elusive and random, and my wrist bent forward to attach itself to the wood. These bad habits stayed with me for years. Eventually, with the help of listening carefully, I discovered how to turn a heavy-handed shift turn into a graceful movement of flight.
Weak shifts tend to land in a hesitant manner, with the rhythm dissolving in mid-movement. From this common scenario, there is one bit of good news – muscle memory and distance of intervals are starting to make themselves felt. You’ll need that information when you speed up the shift. But you'll need to fix the hesitation.
There is an awkward transition from cumbersome to aerodynamic shifting. The trick is this: lead with the bow to insure that the shift happens at the same tempo. When you are trying to be careful and accurate, you may actually slow down before a shift and alter the tempo, but that is actually the opposite of what you should do. Keep reading...
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The Week in Reviews, Op. 371: Indianapolis Violin Competition Finalists; Joshua Bell; Randall Goosby; Augustin Hadelich
In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world.
Sirena Huang, Julian Rhee, Minami Yoshida, Claire Wells, SooBeen Lee, and Joshua Brown performed in the Classical and Concerto Finals of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.
- Violinist.com (series of live reviews and articles): "'The Indianapolis' is one of the few major international violin competitions that takes place in North America, and its reputation for excellence consistently draws the best-of-the-best violinists from all over the globe."
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REVIEW: 2022 Indianapolis Competition Concerto Finals Day 2: Claire Wells, SooBeen Lee and Sirena Huang
When I'm watching any of the Finalists perform in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, I know that I'm watching an artist who is going places. Because with this competition, it's not just the Gold Medal winner who makes a career - history has shown that these violinists are all top-notch musicians who are headed for soloist careers, or concertmaster positions, or a high-level teaching career.
So on Saturday, even though everyone was waiting anxiously to learn who had won the Gold (congratulations Sirena Huang! Read about laureate placements here), I was still excited to hear the final three performers play their big concertos with a symphony orchestra.
The three violinists who played on Saturday included Claire Wells, SooBeen Lee, and Sirena Huang. You can watch their performances (and other previous competition performances) by clicking here. Keep reading...
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