Sueye Park Wins 2025 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition

May 31, 2025 at 02:09 PM · Is there a recording of Minami Yoshida's Sibelius concierto? I'd love to hear it!

May 31, 2025 at 10:52 PM · I've posted Sueye's in the story.

Here is Minami Yoshida:

June 1, 2025 at 05:40 AM · Thanks Laurie!

June 2, 2025 at 01:16 AM · As from ~ Laureate Sibelius International Violin Competition 1965 {Elisabeth Matesky} USA Violin 'Apostle' of Jascha Heifetz & Nathan Milstein ~ {#3}

Having just last week posted a lengthy Article on my FB Page re the International Sibelius Violin Competition taking place in Spring & not Winter when Finland's First Sibelius International Violin Concours took place from November until Finals and shortly prior to December 8, 1965, which was the One Hundredth Birthday, aka, Centenery of Finnish Titan of Composition, Jean Sibelius!! It was both a glorious yet Dark Time in the sense of being actually 'warned' by my wonderful Heifetz RX'd to me then mentor, 'Lasserson in London', who had been The True Authentic Assistant to Leopold Auer in his Fabled St. Petersburg Class including Heifetz; Elman; Toscha Seidel; Efrem Zimbalist, Sr.; Nathan Milstein, Kubelik; Kathleen Parlow; Cecilia Hansen and Mr. Lasserson also in the Class and so able to brilliantly analyze all technical related musical problems, Auer selected the born natural analytical Teacher, Sascha Lasserson, as his Assistant mentor helping all of the Above if an any encountered of the above mentioned playing of violin problems plus many more! In receiving the Fulbright Fellowship {and for Two Years which was a gift of providence to London}, I was going 'round to study new concert violin repertoire with Mr. Lasserson, and fabled throughout all London & throughout the entire UK, GOAT Violin Pedagogue and The 'Go To' Artist {also having been a BBC Recording Radio Artist since marrying his British born Wife & settling in London}, who at the time of my Invite to represent my country, The United States of America, did not wish me to go ahead to participate in this marvellous Major First SIVC or New Competition for Violin?? It was a mystery to myself until I finally gathered enough courage to ask Mr. Lasserson, so revered by all his former Auer Class Colleagues, including Mr. Heifetz, who had insisted I study in London with Mr. Lasserson. When asking Why he had such reservations 'Sascha' finally sat me down to explain about his own inner knowledge of the Jury which was pre-selected and at that time in 1965, the former Soviet Union was very influential re some or a few violinists to be selected on The Sibelius Int'l Violin Competition Jury ~ Lasserson proceeded to speak of examples in Jury Politics which to myself, a very naive little girl barely 20, had no knowledge of & was sitting there listening to his knowledgeable Concerns trying to convince me to Not participate in The Sibelius ... After having been so fortunate to prior offer Sibelius' Violin Concerto On Tour of most of Scandinavia previously & before the Int'l Competition, my confidence regarding knowing the Full Orchestral Score and Violin Score after major successes in Copenhagen, Stockholm, (and in Oslo, particularly and Bergen in Norway), was High and I was fascinated by the Composer, aka, most "Moral" Composer since Beethoven, identified as such by greatest music historians in Europe ... My Love for the Violin Concerto could not be dampened and yours truly was so determined to set foot on true 'holy' Finnish Soil to Feel and Absorb all in Finland which had obviously led to the Genius Finn Sibelius, to compose this Epic Mt. Everest Violin Concerto which he, in his Diary, had written of & of his boyhood desire to become a Great Violinist, and once composing he determined to compose an "Unplayable" Violin Concerto!! And by gosh, Jean Sibelius certainly did, so when Heifetz came along playing his Masterwork in such a way even 'Father' Composer Sibelius was astonished and remember this was in the 1940s - late '30s when Sir Thomas 'Ego' Beecham, British Fabled Conductor decided to first record Sibelius' Violin Concerto & with HEIFETZ!!! Although the particular early not too cooperative Conductor in Sir Thomas Beecham, startled every single Violinist in The World who heard it or who heard Mr. Heifetz publicly perform this Mythical Violin Concerto!! Going back to the Studio of Sascha Lasserson in early October of 1965, after listening intently to every word and innuendo Mr. Lasserson shared, I still could not be deterred from travelling to Helsinki, Finland, where my heart was pulling me as never before ... Knowing of the Political Climate of said Jury from Mr. Lasserson, I hadn't any aspirations of Winning the Sibelius International Violin Competition, but I had a sixth sense it would be a rare experience to be on Finnish Soil and to meet Finnish People to know Whom and What they were like coming from the coldest Country I knew of yet was gravatationally pulled to go there!! I learned more being in the Competition than one could learn if studying in a Studio somewhere in a Music School never meeting One Finnish Person or Finnish Couple, in my case, The Ladenpaa's who were my Finnish Hosts for the entire duration of myself Internationally curious about Violin Competition taking place for a First time!!! I met Paul Zukovsky, of NYC, well known then for his love of and very adroit offerings of very Contemporary Violin Concert Repertoire and we became American Representative Violinists Friends! (Another Story for Another Day!) However, both Paul and I were finding ourselves stumped when listening to many contestants yet thinking A, C, or Z or M were going to definitely Not be passed onto the Next round where one had to perform much Unaccompanied Bach for Violin and other works also including a Work composed by a younger Finnish Composer with only a given number of Days to learn & then perform it in the Round 2. It came down to a point that many contender's were strangely from the Soviet Union and parts of East Germany {then split in two until 1989 when having become POTUS Ronald Reagan due to his warmth and changed kind Relationship with Gorbachev made his fabled Speech Request ~ "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down This Wall!!!" and which went round the still without Internet World like wildfire ... But in 1965, there was no such cohesion and change of DBA (Doing Business As Usual) and the Jury was very slanted In Favour of Judges 3 or 4 placing their own Students into next rounds of the Competition irregardless of Others from other places/countries, USA, UK, France, The West, basically, left out or declared not abled to advance in to later rounds. This would become a stain on the first Sibelius International Violin Competition and due to Paul Z.'s Outburst and Call for an International Press Conference defending rights of All Violinists participating to be 100% Judged solely on their Performance and Not Where they were born! Paul Z. had nearly begged me to accompany him to his Conference but so scared, I did defer due being the Only Heifetz pupil in the Competition and not wishing Mr. Heifetz's name drawn into the Press Coverage ... I have to this writing never regretted my very young yet wise decision.

In the end, yours truly received a rare Gift: The "Special Award for Best Outstanding Unaccompanied Bach in Violin" which also came with the Personal Invitation by Widow of Sibelius, Madam Sibelius to play her husband's Slow Movement (Adagio di molto) of his Violin Concerto for the Inaugural Concert/ Ceremony in Hameenlinna, FI, taking place in the actual Birth House of Jean Sibelius, which was so often visited by The Great Musicians of All Time the Finnish Government decided to rename the tiny small birth house and Finnish Minister of Culture was there to Proclaim the birth house we offered his 'prayer' Mvt in & All Five Sibelius Daughters seated just in front of us (my Finnish Pianist, Mary Lakos, Official Pianist of Sibelius Academy of Music) and I perform the glorious 'Adagio di molto' 'In Memoriam' yet also as a Centenery Gift Gesture to Sibelius on his would've been One Hundredth Birthday for All Living Sibelius Family there with All Five Sibelius Daughters, and Madam Sibelius, ailing at 92, unable to attend in person physically yet having her eldest Sibelius Daughter presenting the gorgeous Flowers and homegrown by Madam Sibelius to myself following our Performance filmed & telecast LIVE by 7 - 8 Int'l TV Company's and Eurovision across All Continental Europe on The 8th of December in 1965 on a frigid Cold -35 degrees freezing Finnish Winter Day yet in the love and warmth inside the proclaimed "Sibelius National Memorial Museum" by Finnish Minister of Culture, and photographs taken of yours truly with All Five Sibelius Daughters chatting together and in English with Five Daughters requesting I give Mr. Heifetz their fondest affection and gratitude for championing their Father's Violin Concerto throughout the Concert World from themselves and their mother who loved Mr. Heifetz's performance of her husband's Regal Violin Concerto!!! (I did this the following Summer and In Person with Mr. Heifetz, obviously deeply moved! I was a fortunate participant yet I have felt all these decades my French Colleague, Jean Jacques Kantorow truly deserved the Gold Medal due his magnificent and Inside the Music Performance in the Final Round Concert which I was able to attend and to the Winner's Dinner with the Full Jury in attendance which I knew was a bit uncomfortable ... The only reason I could figure out was my being an only pupil of Jascha Heifetz in the First Sibelius International Violin Competition, and the Finnish Press focusing on this later on when the Finalists for Gold, Silver and Bronze were announced and my name was kindly associated with the Special Award for The Best Outstanding Unaccompanied Bach for Violin ... All Said, I have been duly honoured to return to Helsinki, FI, to Guest Teach & give a violin recital and a "Master Teaching Lesson" at the very rare coveted wondrous Sibelius Academy of Music in downtown Helsinki, which was a deeply inspiring opportunity in learning even more about the Ideas of Finnish Musicians in their 'Northern Face' Approach to the many works of Jean Sibelius, their fellow compatriot so honoured everywhere in Helsinki, in shops, Family Owned Helka Hotel and every venue holding classical concerts and even Sports Events! Finnish Tempi in fabled Symphonies of Jean Sibelius differ greatly from Our Western Ideas/Concepts of Tempi and of their offering of his more mellow and prayerful thematic lovelies with a sort of 'From The Soil Offering's' of A Family Member which truly differs greatly with most Western and Great Orchestras who still do perform the Allegro's and Adagio's in works of Sibelius Too Rapidly and this was most apparent in hearing *Leif Segerstam, Mentor of Grand Finnish Conductor's so well known/Respected, Esa Pekka Salonen (with whom I recently had a wonderful chat about his just passed Mentor, Giant in Size, Leif Segerstam, looking like Santa Claus, No Kidding Seriously, and his enormous infectious effects on all Musicians and Conductor's under his mentorship for a very long time in Helsinki, at The Sibelius Academy of Music which has produced an abundant 'Crop' of marvellous Finnish Conductor's and some Violinists harkening from Finland, The Land of Sibelius and I will end with my own and published Impression after several intimate visits/offerings to Finland: "The People of Finland Are Sibelius and Sibelius Is The Finnish Soul of Finland!"

Obviously there is much to speak of and to offer Compliment's so I wish to truly congratulate the Winner of the Gold Medal in this just finished Sibelius International Violin Competition Lady, Sueye Park, and wish her a glorious Life of loving Finnish Music and when offering the Epic Sibelius Violin Concerto which my Mentor, Jascha Heifetz Conquered long ago yet 'owning' The Sibelius and changing The World of Concert Violin Forever via his Mt. Everest Performances of this widely Loved Violin Concerto and myself honoured by The Family of Jean Sibelius in 1965, when All Five Sibelius Daughter's gifted me their Mother, Madam Sibelius' Homegrown Flowers from her Helsinki Garden as 'my present to you, Ms Matesky, for playing my beloved husband's Violin Concerto slow movement for us on his 100th Birthday and being with All of Us on his Special One Hundredth Centenery in his House of Birth!" If either Ms. Sueye Park or Minami Yoshida happen to see/read this it is my passing of a Gift from The Family of Jean Sibelius for both to carry on and for a long while into a far away from Now in 2025 Future to 2095 & even into A Next Century, and may God reign Musical Blessings on them both ~

~ ~ ~ ~ Elisabeth Matesky in America ~ ~ ~ ~

^Thanking Laurie for Covering The Emerald of Violin Competition's^

A Word ~ I do not recognise any SIVC Jury Members?

Fwd ~ dmg {#3}

June 2, 2025 at 01:28 AM · Thank you for sharing!