As a long standing tradition, January 31 marked the finale of annual the UBC Concerto Competition. After success from preliminary rounds, eight performers marked the final stage which is open to public at Barnett Hall, UBC School of Music.
The winner of the 2016 Concerto Competition was announced – violinist Melody Yuan who performed Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major by Sergei Prokofiev. Yuan will perform as a soloist with the UBC Symphony Orchestra on April 9 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
The two runner-ups — Keira Chapman (voice) performing Glière's “Concerto for Coloratura and Orchestra” and Charlotte Beglinger (voice) performing Mahler's “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen” — will be offered concerto performances in the upcoming months.
Each finalist performed a complete concerto, each 20 to 30 minutes long, playing various instruments including bassoon, piano, violin, voice, saxophone and harp. According to Jonathan Girard, director of UBC Symphony Orchestra, the value of concerto competition does not only lie in winning a performance with the Orchestra, but so much more.
“Most students in the School of Music are pursuing career paths to become musicians and what the competition prepares them for are necessary experiences for their professional development. This includes playing complete concerto from memory, performing in public and a chance to play with the orchestra,” said Girard.
While the concerto competition is open to any music students who may wish to participate, it is a challenging, but greatly rewarding, experience. One of the finalists, pianist Ross Salvosa, reflects on his experiences of how the competition pushed him for greater personal growth as a musician.
“The competition makes you to look at music differently, to have a deeper understanding, be engaged with the piece on a higher level and to become more polished,” said Salvosa.
It was not a night of pure competition, but one in which performers could fully immerse themselves in their musical engagement.
In describing how he felt during his concerto, Salvosa said, “It was a rare moment when I felt everything was spot on, like when figure skaters succeed in their jumps and spins.”
Not only do performers benefit from participating in the competition, attendees do as well.
As Girard put it, it really is a great opportunity to see fantastic performances as UBC is the leading institution for music.
“It will be very inspiring for many students to come and see what some of their peers and able to do in terms of their musical performances,” said Girard.
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