Schedule of events for the 2008 Klein Competition
2007 Klein Competition:Winner Announced
New Commissioned Works
by Frank Stemper
Where Are They Now:What Past Competition Winners Are Doing
Download pdf of Current Newsletter
Winter 2007
New for 2007: Final Round With Orchestra Featuring Marin Symphony
The annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition continues to be recognized as the world’s leading competition for young string artists. For the past 22 years, the Klein Competition has given classical music virtuosos between the ages of 15 and 23 a place to showcase their skills and to initiate their careers.
This year, the Klein Competition will enhance both its quality and significance through some very noteworthy program additions. For the second time in the history of the competition, the top three finalists will perform their concertos with with full orchestra accompaniment. The Klein Competition is pleased to welcome the esteemed Marin Symphony, conducted by Alasdair Neale to this concluding event. The finalists of the Klein Competition will be required to perform complete works from the repertoire of Brahms or Barber (violin); Walton or Bartok (viola); Dvorak or Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 (cello); and Koussevitzky or Bottesini Concerto No. 2 (bass).
Mitchell Sardou Klein, Director of the Klein Competition remarked that "the young artists who have applied to the Klein Competition are extraordinarily exciting and accomplished musicians. They represent the highest level of young string players in the world, and certainly among them are solo performers who will make a major mark on the world stage in years to come. They represent the greatest music and the most celebrated teachers, and include many nationalities and styles of performance."
Past winners such as Alyssa Park, Wendy Warner, Mark Kosower, Jennifer Koh, Alban Gerhardt, Frank Huang, and François Salque, are shining examples of young artists whose stellar careers started at the Klein Competition. More information about our prior winners can be found in the Where They Are Now section of this newsletter.
2006 Klein Winner: David Requiro Performs With Peninsula Symphony
Congratulations to our 2006 Klein Competition First Prize
winner, cellist David Requiro. During the Final Round of the
Competition last June, David performed a magnificent reading of
the Kabalevsky Cello Concerto, as well as the Bach Suite No. 3. In
addition to the Maurice Kursh Memorial First Prize, David was
also the recipient of the Allen R. Weiss Memorial Prize for the
best performance of the commissioned work by Reynold Tharp
entitled "Wavering Lines".
Where are they Now: What our Past Competition Winners Are Doing
Cellist David Requiro (2006, 1st) has won the First Prize for Cello at the 2006 Washington International Competition for Strings, which includes a $7,500 check and performance opportunities. Violist Yu Jin (06, 2nd) also claimed First Prize for Viola including her $7,500 prize plus recital. Congratulations to both of our recent prizewinners!
Violinist Celeste Golden (2006, 3rd) won the bronze medal at the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in September. Celeste also advanced to the semifinal rounds of the Hannover International Violin Competition in Germany in October, and is currently a Semifinalist in this year's Hill Competition.
Two former winners have won top prizes at the 2006 Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition. Cellist Patrick Jee (1998, 2nd) won the $10,000 1st Prize while Cellist Mihai Marica (2005, 1st) won the $2,500 3rd Prize. Additionally, Mihai performed the Brahms Double with the Louisville Orchestra in January.
Three of the top four prizewinners of the 2006 Naumburg Competition (for viola) were won by Klein Competition alumni: David Aaron Carpenter won the 1st Prize, Eric Nowlin (2003, 1st) won 2nd Prize, and David Kim (2004, 2nd) won 4th Prize. David Carpenter is also a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for the 2006-07 Season.
Cellist Joshua Roman (2004, 3rd; 03, 3rd) has been named principal cello of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, effective next season.
Violinist Jennifer Koh (1993, 1st) performed Bruch with the Marin Symphony and with the Spokane Symphony in November. She performed with the New Jersey Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and as part of San Francisco Performances in January. She will be featured with the Honolulu Symphony in March.
Violinist Vadim Gluzman (1993, 2nd) performed with the Hartford Symphony in January, and will perform with the Dallas Symphony and Vancouver Symphony in February. In March, he will be featured with the Jacksonville Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony, followed by the Portland Symphony in May.
Violinist Jennifer Frautschi (1991, 1st) will be featured in July as part of the Caramoor Virtuosi. Jennifer's recording of Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, with the Fred Sherry String Quartet and the Twentieth Century Ensemble conducted by Robert Craft, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra. She will also perform with the Naples Philharmonic in February and the Pasadena Symphony in April.
Cellist Song-ie Do (2006, 4th) will perform with the Laurel Quartet at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory on May 1. She will also perform at the Yellow Barn Music School and Festival with violinist Yvonne Lam (2001, 4th).
Violinist Natalia Szadkowski (2006, 5th) recently attended a master class with CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen sponsored by Bein and Fushi in Chicago.
Cellist Alban Gerhardt (1989, 3rd) has an extensive touring schedule including performances with the Utah Symphony and Nashville Symphony in February, the Netherlands Philharmonic and San Antonio Symphony in March, the Berlin Philharmonic in April, and the Portland Symphony in May.
Violist Cathy Basrak (1995, 1st) is the Assistant Principal Violist with The Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist Lara St. John (1993, 4th) performed with the Toronto Symphony in January and will perform with the Honolulu Symphony in May.
Teng Li (2002, 2nd) is the Principal Violist for the Toronto Symphony and was featured at the opening in November, performing works by Berlioz.
Violinist Ilana Setapen (05, 3rd) is currently the concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony and the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles. Ilana has also recently won the position of concertmaster for the Riverside County Philharmonic.
Violinist Angela Fuller (2000, 1st) was recently named concertmaster of the Houston Symphony.
Violinist Rachel Harding (2005, 5th) will perform the Red Violin with the Asheville Symphony in February and won 1st Place and $5,000 at the 2006 Corpus Christi International Young Artists Competition Strings.
Violinist Jung-Min Amy Lee (2004, 1st) has been selected as a Semifinalist at the 2007 Michael Hill Competition.
Cellist Yves Dharamraj (2004, 4th) currently performs with Ne(x)tworks, a collaborative ensemble of performing composers based in New York City. Formed in June 2002, the group continues the "Maverick" tradition in American music by creating and interpreting work that primarily explores intersections between composition and improvisation.
Violinist Howard Zhang (2001, 1st) is a candidate for this year's Montreal International Music Competition, and performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto in November with the San Bernardino Symphony.
Violinist Katie Hyun (2003, 4th) is a member of the Metropolitan Chamber Players.
Cellist Min-Ji Kim (2002, 1st) performed Shostakovich with the Riverside County Philharmonic in January.
Violinist ,Eunice Keem (2001, 3rd) will be a member of the teaching staff at the International Music Academy of Pilsen, Czech Republic, this summer.
Violinist Madeline Adkins (1999, 2nd) serves as the associate concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a position she has held since 2005.
Violinist Lucia Micarelli (1999, 3rd) is currently on tour with Josh Groban.
Violinist Gloria Justen (1987, 1st) is featured on the pop album Futuresex/Lovesounds by superstar/hearthrob Justin Timberlake.
Violinist Caroline Campbell (2002, 3rd) is a member of the progressive Sonus Quartet, who are touring with pop music superstars Gnarls Barkley.
Cellist Cecilia Lee (1999, 4th) will perform at Sounds of Stowe (MA) in March.
John Keigwin (1999, 5th) is the Principal Bass of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.
Cellist Denise Djokic (1998, 1st) was nominated for a 2006 Juno Award for her "Folklore" CD on Endeavor Classics with pianist David Jalbert.
Christina Castelli (1998, 3rd) will be featured as one of the Rising Stars at Ravinia in March.
Cellist Amir Eldan (1997, 4th) is Assistant Professor of Cello Studies at Oberlin.
Cellist Mark Kosower (1992, 1st) will be performing the Brahms Double Concerto with Axel Strauss and Symphony Silicon Valley in May.
Cellist Alberto Parrini (1996, 3rd) performed the Beethoven Triple with the Clemson University Symphony Orchestra in December.
Violinist Ayako Yoshida (1994, 1st) performs with the Cape Symphony Orchestra in May. Violinist Joanna Kurkowicz (93, 5th) will perform with the New Zealand Symphony as a part of the Asia Pacific Festival in Wellington, New Zealand and the Koszalin Philharmonic in Poland.
Owen Lee (1992, 4th) is the Principal Bass of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Cellist Alexis Gerlach (1991, 2nd) will perform with Trio Solisti at the Portland Chamber Music Festival.
Violist Kirsten Johnson (1997, 1st) performed a special 30th Anniversary Concert with Jaime and Sharon Laredo and Joseph Kalichstein at the JFK Center for the Arts in January.
Violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti (1997, 2nd) has served as Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony since August 2004.
Cellist Jian-Wen Tong (1990, 2nd) is a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist Joan Kwuon (1990, 3rd) will be a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony, performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto, and the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, as well as performing coast-to-coast U.S. tours with the Bulgarian National Orchestra, in an all-Vivaldi program, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, performing the Bruch Violin Concerto with conductor Thierry Fischer. Additionally, her new solo recording with pianist Reiko Uchida, featuring the Previn and Strauss Violin Sonatas, Mozart's Adagio and Rondo, and Tchaikovsky's Melodie, will be released in 2007.
In Memorium: Charlotte Olmsted Kursh (1912-2006)
Former Klein
Competition Board
member and music
lover Charlotte
Olmsted Kursh died
on December 27 at
the age of 94. She was
the only child of the
distinguished
landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and
granddaughter of the founder of
landscape architecture in the United
States, Frederick Law Olmsted, who
designed Central Park in New York
in 1858. Charlotte was married for
23 years to Robert Lee Gill, Jr. of
Baltimore, MD, who predeceased
her. After their four children were
grown, she embarked on a new
career, earning her Ph.D. in
anthropology at Stanford University
and publishing many articles and
books. She was married for 27 years
to her second husband, artist and
musician Maurice Kursh, who died
in 1987. For the past 15 years, she
has underwritten the Klein
Competition first prize in memory of
Maurice. A great lover of learning
and generous supporter of the arts,
she will be missed.
"Charlotte and Maurice's support of the Irving Klein String Competition means so much to the talented young string players who come to San Francisco State University to compete for prizes, especially the first prize: the Maurice Kursh Award of $10,000. About 15 years ago Charlotte invited me to join her in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, to attend that Chamber Music Festival. I knew that she and Maurice had lived there for several years. The excellent festival featured many string quartets, including a recital by the recent winner of the Maurice Kursh Prize. This annual recital, sponsored by Charlotte, has since become one of the highlights of the festival. Back in Mexico City, Charlotte guided me through the Archeological Museum, the world's finest. I was amazed at the depth of her knowledge. After three hours I was exhausted, but she was eager to continue. It was the most fascinating museum experience of my life. I feel very privileged to have known Charlotte for the past twenty-two years. We will all miss her bright, optimistic personality and her love of music and the arts."
Eleonore Schoenfeld (1925-2007)
Internationally
renowned cellist, music
teacher, and long-time
Klein Competition
adjudicator Eleonore
Schoenfeld has died in
Los Angeles at the age
of 81.
Schoenfeld, who performed with her sister Alice as the Schoenfeld Duo, passed away early in January. Both sisters have been active members of our jury for nearly our entire history, and have contributed much to the consistency and quality of the Klein Competition. Most notably, Eleonore advanced the idea of continuing a final round with orchestra, and also reexamining our semifinalist prize levels.
The Schoenfelds studied music from an early age and performed concerts on four continents. At the time of her death, Schoenfeld was on the faculty of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. The sisters were natives of Berlin and moved to Los Angeles in 1952 joining the USC faculty in 1959.
Schoenfeld made more than 200 concert recordings for the BBC, won many awards for her music and teaching and conducted cello master classes all over the world. Eleonore Schoenfeld will be dearly missed.
New Commissioned Works by Joel Hoffmann
Each year, the Klein Competition commissions nationally- and internationally-renowned composers to write new works specifically for our event, one each for violin, viola, cello and bass. This year's composer is Joel Hoffman. Born in Canada in 1953, Joel received degrees from the University of Wales and the Juilliard School. He is part of a distinguished musical family that includes brothers Gary and Toby, cellist and conductor, and sister Deborah, harpist. Honors include a major prize from the American Academy-Institute of Arts and Letters, two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a BMI Award, ASCAP awards since 1977, and three American Music Center grants.
Currently, Joel is Professor of Composition at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. He is also an active pianist, having appeared as soloist with, among others, the Chicago Symphony, the Belgian Radio and T.V. Orchestra, the Costa Rica National Symphony and the Florida Orchestra.
Joel's works draw from such diverse sources as Eastern European folk musics and bebop, and are pervaded by a sense of lyricism and rhythmic vitality. His music has been frequently heard at summer festivals such as Portogruaro, Korsholm, Evian, St. Nazaire, Newport, Chamber Music Northwest and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival.
All of Joel Hoffman's music is published, either by his own publishing house Onibatan Music or by RAI Trade, E.C. Schirmer, G. Schirmer and Lyra Music. There are recordings on the CRI, Koch, Stradivarius, Centaur, EMA and Deutsche Welle labels. A disc devoted to Hoffman's chamber music is available on the Gasparo label. A new CD of Joel Hoffman's three Piano Trios has just been released on the Albany label.
We look forward to hearing his pieces for the first time ever on our competition stage in June.
A Letter From the Executive Director
Dear Friends of the Klein Competition and Music Lovers:
For the past 21 years, the Klein Competition has presented some of the finest young string players in the world, right here in San Francisco, to the thrill and delight of our audiences and our jury. So many magical memories have been made right here on our stage. And each year, we discover ever-increasing numbers of our former prizewinners who have developed into outstanding professionals with top orchestras, as renowned soloists, and as touring artists.
Congratulations to our 2006 First Prize Winner, cellist David Requiro, who will be here in the Bay Area several times over the course of this season, performing with the Peninsula Symphony in March and the Santa Cruz Symphony in early November.
The 2007 Klein Competition this June will be highlighted by some truly groundbreaking additions to our program. For only the second time in our history, we will feature an additional final round of our top three contestants performing full-length concertos with full orchestra accompaniment. And thanks to the generous support of the Phyllis D. Wattis Foundation, we are thrilled to have the Marin Symphony under the skilled baton of Maestro Alasdair Neale. We are also pleased to announce a restructuring of our semifinalist prizes, through which all of our invited performers will receive at least $1,000 in awards, as testament to their artistry and achievement.
Sadly, this year also marks the passing of two members of our musical community, First Prize underwriter Charlotte Olmsted Kursh, and long-time adjudicator and educator Eleonore Schoenfeld. We will miss them both dearly, and remember with great fondness the tireless efforts they have both made on our behalf.
We hope that you enjoy this newsletter, and all the information it provides Ð the updates of where our winners are today, upcoming prize performances, the schedule of events for this June, and ways that you can become more involved in the Klein Competition this year.
With warmest wishes,
Lawrence H. Chung
Executive Director,
California Music Center