2020-2021 Golden Violin Competition Finalists

Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
I study with Professor Andrew Wan, and I will be performing with Felix Hong.

Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I love each piece on my program, in fact I would say that any of the four pieces could be a favourite part of a recital, but the Chopin Ballade is extra special. Chopin sadly did not write any pieces for the violin, so we are forced to steal piano pieces, with sometimes mixed success. I learned of Ysaÿe’s adaptation of the famous G Minor Chopin Ballade because one of my teacher’s former students, Jacob Niederhoffer, did a beautiful job creating a proper published edition of this adaptation. I think it is a beautiful and effective adaptation, and for me it is so much fun to get to play one of Chopin’s most loved and emotional works on the violin. As well, it has been a fun piece to work on with Felix, as he knows this work inside and out.

What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
I alternate between listening to music I know and love and looking for something new. I always go back to my favourites, which for classical music are Late Romantic French composers like Chausson and Fauré, as well as earlier Romantics such as Brahms and Schubert. For non-Classical listening, I love Progressive Rock like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Pink Floyd. Lately I have been listening to much more Jazz though, specifically Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson. I somehow went a very long time without having really discovered these artists, and I wish I would have known their work sooner!

This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
It has been a challenging year. It is hard not to see my own goals in music making as somewhat trivial in light of what the world has been experiencing over the past year. This has caused me to try to evaluate how what I care about and what I am doing to fit into the picture of the world I hope to be a meaningful part of. I honestly don’t know how this should look for me, but the reflection has inspired me to think more critically about why I care so much about music, and how the career of a performing musician can have a positive impact. I never felt discouraged though, as music has always been crucial for my own mental and emotional wellbeing. I took the lack of concerts as an opportunity to examine as closely as possible the specific features of my playing that I wanted to improve. This has been very helpful to me, at the very least!

When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
When I’m not practicing and preparing, my favourite thing to do is honestly to talk with friends and family members, these days mostly on the phone or on video chat. No matter what it is about, I love having interesting conversations. Beyond that, I honestly find rest (both mental and physical) to be critical to allow myself the time to process the work I do when I practice.

Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
My teacher and collaborative pianists are Denise Lupien, Brigitte Poulin, and Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse.

Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I don’t, because every part is my favourite! However, I will note that the second movement of the Strauss sonata is full of beautiful inspiration from other works: Adagio from Beethoven’s Pathétique in the outer sections, as well as Schubert’s Erlkӧnig in the tempestuous middle.

What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made? ’ve struggled with playing while wearing masks, so I’ll share a recent somewhat-musical discovery in the hopes it’ll help another musician! I’ve discovered that I can play violin wearing a procedural mask if I cross the ear loops once before hooking them around my ears. It hurts my ears after a couple hours, but the mask doesn’t ride up and get in my eyes while I play.

This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
One of my top-ten favourite works is the slow movement of Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto. Apart from it being heart-wrenchingly poignant, it’s essentially chamber music between the soloist and various orchestral voices. This piece was written after an especially difficult time for Rachmaninov: he suffered from depression and an inability to compose for several years after the premiere of his first symphony was heavily criticized (for many reasons, many out of his control). But with the help of therapy and support from his friends and family, he was able to compose this piece. It is dedicated to the doctor that helped him recover, Nikolai Dahl. Dr. Dahl later emigrated to Lebanon, where he played viola in an orchestra. At one point, that orchestra was performing this piece, and once the audience found out that the very dedicatee was in the orchestra, they made him stand from his seat in the viola section and take a bow. Music like this always reminds me that connections are always there, whether it’s in relationships between people, the music itself between different voices, or meaning hidden in the subtext.

When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Pratiquer mon français, alors parlez avec moi s’il vous plaît!

Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
I study with Axel Strauss and I will be playing with Brigitte Poulin. Both have been inspiring to work with and very supportive!

Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I really like my whole program, but my favourite piece is Fratres by Arvo Part. I think there is a general duality within the program I have prepared, and Fratres sums up this dichotomy well in terms of structure and technique. What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made? I found out about the “seagull effect” the other day - it sounds much nicer than an actual seagull.

This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
Surprisingly, I think I have been connecting with musicians from all over more than I would in a normal context. As music students we tend to stay in our own bubbles, but I’ve found it valuable to be able to share my playing and talk about music online. On a more serious level, I think that our generation of musicians have taken tremendous initiatives toward combatting the discriminatory attitudes and practices inherent in classical art forms. I have been fortunate to listen to and connect with many musicians about this topic. I think that it is important to move away from the white patriarchal tradition and create a new, inclusive narrative within the classical music genre.

When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Socially distanced picnics in the park have been a nice way to relax lately. I also like to try to get into different art forms; going to an art exhibition, painting, and writing songs are all good ways to chill out.