Announcing the 2024 Semifinalists
Celebrating 39 years of nurturing and championing the world’s finest young string players, the 39th Irving M. Klein International String Competition returns June 1-2 to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, our presenting partner – this year at the Sol Joseph Recital Hall. The semifinal round begins at 10AM Pacific Sat June 1st and finals start at 3PM Pacific Sun June 2nd.
Audiences will view eight contestants compete for cash prizes and performance contracts in front of a live audience, as a jury of seven convenes to determine the winners. The Klein will also stream worldwide on the Violin Channel, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube and our website.
The 2024 Semifinalists:
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- PEARL DE LA MOTTE, viola, 20 (NY). Attends the Juilliard School and studies with Hsin-Yun Huang
- WANXINYI HUANG, viola, 23 (CHINA). Attends the Yale School of Music and studies with Ettore Causa
- HANNAH JEONG, cello, 17 (TX). Attends College Station High School and studies with Brinton Smith
- EVELYN JOUNG, cello, 16 (NJ). Attends the Chapin School and the Juilliard School and studies with Clara Minhye Kim
- YEJI LIM, violin, 23 (KOREA). Attends the New England Conservatory of Music and studies with Nicholas Kitchen and Young-uck Kim
- CHRISTIAN LUEVANO, bass, 20 (PA). Attends Curtis Institute of Music and studies with Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson
- FRANCIS TSAI, violin, 18 (AL). Attends Hope Christian School and studies with Jennifer Liu and Eric Tsai
- AMELIA ZITOUN, cello, 18 (WI). Attends Shorewood High School and Music Institute of Chicago Academy and studies with Hans Jørgen Jensen
(Ages are at time of Competition 6/1-2/24) Click HERE for link to headshots
Violinist Alina Kobialka, 2016 Klein third prizewinner, is this year’s mentor and co-hosts with Klein Artistic Director Mitchell Sardou Klein, who noted, “The 2024 Klein Competition Semifinalists were selected from a record high number of extraordinary applicants, each one with a distinctive voice and remarkable musicianship. We are thrilled to present these future leaders of the next generation of brilliant musical artists.”
The grand prize includes $5,000 cash, generously funded for the first time this year by the MOCA Foundation, with performance contracts with the Peninsula and Santa Cruz Symphonies, Gualala Arts Chamber Series, among others, and is valued at $15,000. The second prize is given generously by Ruth Short in memory of Elaine H. Klein of $3,500 cash and is valued at $5,500 with a performance with the San José Chamber Orchestra. A third prize of $2,500 is generously given in memory of Milton Preves by Judith and David Anderson. Two fourth prizes of $1,500 each are awarded, one given by Maria Klein in memory of Jerry Lee Klein. Each semifinalist not awarded a named prize will receive $1,000. Awards of $500 each are given for best performance of the commissioned work by John Wineglass, and of the solo Bach.
About the Composer
John Wineglass has written several scores for shows on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC as well as documentaries on Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer for The Brady Bunch, Kathy Lee Gifford and Farah Fawcett. Having scored mainly independent films, several of his nationally syndicated commercials include music for the United States Army, American Red Cross and Texaco as well. As a recipient of three (two consecutive) ®Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series, and three ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, Mr. Wineglass holds seven ®EMMY nominations.
In the classical music genre he has garnered commissions from the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music w/Maestra Marin Alsop to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, with The Washington Post describing his concert-hall work as having ‘iridescent colors in the world premiere of a beautifully crafted suite’ while conductor Marvin Hamlisch introduces and congratulates the occasion by commenting ‘… with a name like Wineglass, it had to be good.’
The Jury Panel
The distinguished jury will include Barbara Day Turner, music director of San José Chamber Orchestra, Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra, Hal Robinson, former principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra on faculty at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Daniel Stewart, music director of the Santa Cruz Symphony; violinist and San Francisco Conservatory of Music faculty member, Ian Swensen, this year’s commissioned composer, John Wineglass, and Paul Yarbrough, former violist and co-founder of the Alexander String Quartet.
About the Klein Competition
The Irving M. Klein International String Competition is open to musicians between ages 15 and 23 and has achieved international recognition as one of the most prestigious classical music competitions, recognized for the high caliber of the contestants, its unique, nurturing environment, and its commitment to the commissioning of new works.
Its award carries the prestige that has helped many top soloists gain prominence in the competitive world of classical music, including Nikki Chooi, Robert deMaine, Francesca dePasquale, Jennifer Frautschi, Zlatomir Fung, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Oliver Herbert, Frank Huang, Jennifer Koh, Mark Kosower, Tessa Lark, Teng Li.
California Music Center, the producer of the Klein, was founded in 1974 by Irving M. Klein, a virtuoso chamber musician and master cello teacher, as the sponsoring organization for a summer music institute and chamber music series for young artists. Following Mr. Klein’s passing in 1985, CMC inaugurated the Irving M. Klein International String Competition (“the Klein”) in 1986; since then, the Klein has become one of the most prestigious events of its kind, attracting entries annually from throughout the world and helping to enhance the developing careers of exceptional young players who have gone on to become renowned soloists, chamber musicians, teachers, and prominent members of the world’s finest orchestras.
The Klein Competition is supported in part by the Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation and the MOCA Foundation; and is presented in partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Violin Channel. Learn more at kleincompetition.org
