Gene Hotta, viola (Winner)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Los Angeles, CA
What is an essential part of making music for you?
An essential part of making music for me is enjoying the process of preparation. I think that if you get creative in the practice room and enjoy yourself, it will transfer to on stage when performing and will result in an artistic performance.
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What is your favourite moment in a concert?
At the climax of a major symphony
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
If I could meet any of the composers on my program, it would be Johann Sebastian Bach. I just love the use of harmonic progressions in the music he writes, and I would like to know how he thinks and composes his works.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
Being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award would allow me to be able to perform again in the coming semester and share viola repertoire that are both famous and less known. I think that solo viola recitals are always interesting with something new to share.
What’s next for you?
I am currently auditioning for orchestras and looking for jobs. My dream is to have a professional orchestra career as a violist, so I am taking action to make that happen.
JuEun Lee, violin (2nd place)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I'm originally from Seoul, South Korea. I've lived in many different cities, so I haven't found a place to call home yet. I hope to call Montreal home very soon!
What is an essential part of making music for you?
I think making great music requires a genuine love for music and and an open attitude to being inspired by the musicians around you.
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What is your favourite moment in a concert?
The feeling of satisfaction that comes after performing a beautiful piece of music to the best of my ability.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would like to meet both Bartok and Janacek. I want to ask what specific sounds they heard that inspired them to create the very unique colours of sound in the pieces I am playing. I also want to ask if there were any obstacles or limitations that they encountered when transcribing folk melodies into western music notation.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
It will help me in many ways to pursue the career that I have dreamt of for a long time. I have always wanted to try competing at big competitions. Preparing for Golden Violin has given me a sense of what it feels like to prepare for international competitions while still being in the supportive environment of McGill, so I think the whole process will be good preparation for achieving my goals outside of school.
What’s next for you?
I'm planning to continue my graduate studies at McGill while establishing my performance career. I hope to find more performance opportunities to grow as a musician and experience many different perspectives; for example, by competing at international violin competitions, or performing in ensembles for many different communities.
Frédéric Pouliot, violin (3rd place)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Québec, QC
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Sharing a composer's ideas to a broad audience is what I think the most essential part of music making, aside with communicating a wide range of emotions through art. I also believe that one should always try to grow up from making music by keeping himself open to different and varied artistic styles and forms.
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What is your favourite moment in a concert?
I really enjoy sharing music with people on stage, but I also love a nice get-together with friends and good food afterwards!
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would definitely share a good meal with Ana Sokolović and Bartók! Both of their idiomatic musical styles are really appealing to me because of their folk roots. I am myself a great fan of folk and traditional music and I would be curious to know what impact it had on their lives and how they got first introduced to it.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
Winning the Golden Violin Award would mean a lot to me as it would illustrate many years of hard work, but most importantly the support from my family, friends and teachers who have been amazingly helpful in my artistic development. It would also allow myself to broaden connections throughout the artistic community around me for the years to come.
What’s next for you?
I am looking forward to play with Les Violons du Roy as a guest soloist next March and participate in their new "Émergence" program. I would also like to attend music festivals in Europe again this summer! Discovering new places and different musical communities definitely helped me develop myself as a more open-minded artist, and I believe those festivals and opportunities have been a big part of my musical and personal development.
