Victor Fournelle-Blain winner of the Golden Violin Competition
Following an exciting public recital competition held on Saturday, March 15th in Tanna Schulich Hall, and approximately 15 minutes of deliberation, Jury chair Prof. Douglas McNabney announced Victor Fournelle-Blain as winner of the Golden Violin Competition. Each of the four contestants (Victor Fournelle-Blain, violin; Ryan Davis, viola; Marjolaine Lambert, violin; Byungchan Lee, violin) all current students at the school, were chosen by the string faculty based on their demonstrated exceptional talent and contribution to musical and cultural life at the school performed thirty minutes of music.
The Golden Violin itself, made of pewter and gold plate is on permanent display in Schulich’s Marvin Duchow Music Library and was a gift in 2006 from businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich. The seven past winners include Emmanuel Vukovitch, Lambert Chen, Chloé Dominguez, Aaron Schwebel, Ewald Cheung, Isaac Chalk and Baptiste Rodrigues.
The Golden Violin Competition prize includes a debut recital at Schulich as well as a noon hour recital next season in Toronto at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. In addition, the winner receives a cash award increased this year to $25,000 along with a 14-karat gold lapel pin in the likeness of the Golden Violin.
The six-member jury was comprised of Douglas McNabney, Matt Haimovitz, Darren Lowe, Axel Strauss, Marcelle Malette and Marcel Saint-Cyr.
