The prestigious Menuhin Competition, long established as a career springboard for some of today’s best-known international violin stars, opened for entires to the 2016 edition on this week – on the very day that its inspirational namesake, Yehudi Menuhin, would’ve celebrated his 99th birthday.
The Menuhin Competition, established in 1983 to showcase the talents of exceptional young violinists from around the globe, is now welcoming applications for its 2016 edition from players of any nationality born after 17 April 1994. Junior candidates must be under 16 years of age on 17 April 2016, while and senior candidates must be under 22 years of age on the same date.
Prizewinners in the 2016 edition will quickly find themselves taking centre stage at a number of illustrious international festivals and concerts, including the Homage to Menuhin showcase at Konzerthaus Berlin (held late April 2016).
In addition to generous cash prizes, the first-placed senior violinist overall will receive a one-year loan of a golden-period Stradivarius by J&A Beare, while the first-placed junior competitor overall will receive a one-year loan of a classic old Italian instrument from Leonhard’s Fine Violins.
The 2016 edition takes place at London’s Royal Academy of Music, prompting Mayor of London Boris Johnson to state: ‘It’s wonderful that this prestigious competition is coming back to London [in] the centenary year of the great maestro. This exciting showcase of some of the best violinists from across the globe will be a feast for music fans.’
Five of the nine jurors presiding over the upcoming competition are former Menuhin prizewinners themselves, including Julia Fischer; Ray Chen (the youngest ever juror picked for the competition); Tasmin Little; Ning Fen; and Joji Hattori. The line-up also includes Menuhin’s son, the pianist Jeremy Menuhin, as well as jury chair and world-class soloist Pamela Frank.
Gordon Beck, the competition’s artistic director, described the stellar jury panel as ‘[A] testament to the difference this competition can make to a young musician’s life.’
Deadline for entries to the 2016 edition is 31 October 2015, and for the first time, the competition is opening up to online applications – see the Menuhin Competition official website for further details.