The Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for young violinists, delayed since last spring and now staged mostly virtually due to the pandemic, will begin in Richmond in the coming week. With the exception of the competition’s Celebration Concert program, all competition rounds and concerts may be accessed online at no charge.
The Celebration Concert, with the Richmond Symphony conducted by Jahja Ling, will feature violinist Angelo Xiang Yu, winner of the senior first prize in the 2010 competition in Oslo and a juror in this year’s competition, playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216, and the premiere of “Bound Away” by Richmond-bred composer Mason Bates. The program also includes Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture, Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major. Performances are at 7 p.m. May 14 and 8 p.m. May 15 at the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets. Ticket and online access prices will be announced later.
The schedule of free events, accessible via http://2021.menuhincompetition.org and on the competition’s YouTube channel:
April 26 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) – Junior rounds, day 1.
April 27 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) – Junior rounds, day 2.
April 28 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) – Senior rounds, day 1.
April 29 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) – Senior rounds, day 2.
May 15 (10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) – Junior semi-finals.
May 16 (10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) – Senior semi-finals.
May 17 (7:30 p.m.) – Jazz concert by the Regina Carter Quartet.
May 18 (7:30 p.m.) – Geneva junior prizewinners’ concert, with violinists Chloe Chua and Christian Li and pianists Laurence Matheson and Lim Yan. Program TBA.
May 19 (7:30 p.m.) – Folk-acoustic concert by Mark & Maggie O’Connor.
May 20 (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) – Jury masterclasses, conducted by violinist Pamela Frank with physical therapist Howard Nelson; violinists Joji Hattori, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Alf Richard Kraggerud, Soyoung Yoon and Angelo Xiang Yu; and conductor Valentina Peleggi.
May 20 (7:30 p.m.) – Sphinx Virtuosi Showcase, with violinists Rubén Rengel, Rainel Joubert and Melissa White, violist Celia Hatton, cellist Thomas Mesa and double-bassist Xavier Foley playing works by Dvořák, Piazzolla, Foley, Andrea Casarrubios and Michael Abels.
May 21 (3:30 p.m.) – “The Danger of a Single Story: the Importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Arts and Their Role in Society,” panel discussion with Aaron Dworkin, Ronald Crutcher and others.
May 21 (7:30-9:30 p.m.) – Junior finals.
May 22 (7:30-10 p.m.) – Senior finals.
May 23 (5 p.m.) – Menuhin Competition Gala, with the Richmond Symphony, conductor TBA; violinist Angelo Xiang Yu; junior & senior competition winners; and guest artists TBA. Program TBA. (Televised on VPM PBS [Channel 23] and streamed on the competition’s website, http://2021.menuhincompetition.org
Local sponsors of the 2021 Menuhin Competition are the Richmond Symphony, the City of Richmond, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University and VPM.
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