2021-2022 Golden Violin Award Finalists Announced
We are pleased to announce that the three finalists for the 2021-2022 Golden Violin Award are violinists Samuele Parrini, Julia Mirzoev, and Astrid Nakamura.
These string players were selected following a terrific semifinal round held on Friday, December 17, 2021 at Pollack Hall where six semifinalists each performed a 30-minute program of music before only three are selected by a jury to continue through to the finals.
For the final on Sunday, December 19 at 2:00 pm, candidates will present a program of 40 minutes of music of their choice, excluding repertoire presented at the semifinal round.
The jury comprises both Schulich String Area members and colleagues from outside of McGill. This year’s Schulich faculty members are violinist and associate concertmaster of the Orchestre Metropolitain, Marcelle Mallette, Assistant Professor of Violin and concertmaster of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Richard Roberts. Schulich viola instructor and Associate Principal Viola of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Victor Fournelle-Blain joins the jury for the final round. Violinist Guillaume Sutre of the Trio Wanderer, the Ysaÿe Quartet, and current invited professor at l’Université de Montréal was part of the semifinal panel. The other invited guests are cellist Fred Sherry who is a member of the cello faculty at The Juilliard School, The Mannes School of Music and The Manhattan School of Music and violinist Mayumi Seiler, founding member of Via Salzburg and on faculty at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto. The jury is chaired by Associate Professor of Cello at the Schulich School of Music Matt Haimovitz.
The winner receives a generous scholarship, valued at $30,000, as well as a smaller likeness of the violin in the form of a 14-karat gold lapel pin. In addition, the winner will perform in the upcoming Schulich concert season. This year’s edition sees additional scholarship offerings by the Schulich Foundation: the finalists who place second and third will each receive $15,000 and $5,000 respectively.
The Golden Violin Award was established in 2006 by businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich, a year after he donated $20 million to McGill’s Schulich School of Music. Made of pewter and gold plate, the Golden Violin remains on permanent display in McGill’s Marvin Duchow Music Library.
The Final Round will be webcast from Pollack Hall on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
