competitions Archives

Conversation with Mischa Maisky (May, 2007)

by Tim Janof Mischa Maisky has the distinction of being the only cellist in the world to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Rostropovich has lauded Mischa Maisky as "... one of the most outstanding talents of the younger generation of cellists. His playing combines poetry and exquisite delicacy with great temperament and brilliant technique." Born in Latvia, educated in Russia, after his repatriation to Israel, Mischa Maisky has been enthusiastically received in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York and Tokyo, along with the rest of the major music centers. He considers himself as a citizen of the world: "I'm playing an Italian cello, with French bows, Austrian and German strings, my daughter was born in Paris, my older son in Brussels and my younger one in [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-01-14T16:13:12-05:00January 17th, 2022|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Mischa Maisky, Zubin Mehta, Pablo Casals, Bach, Gregor Piatigorsky, competitions, Mstislav Rostropovich|

Conversation with Karine Georgian (November, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof Born into a family of musicians in Moscow, Karine Georgian began her cello studies at the age of five under her father, later studying at the Moscow Conservatoire under Rostropovich. After taking the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Third Tchaikovsky International Competition, she launched an international career that has spanned all the countries of the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, the Far East, and the United States, starting with the American premiere of Khachaturian's Cello Rhapsody with the Chicago Symphony conducted by the composer (her recording with the composer and the Moscow Bolshoi Radio Symphony Orchestra has recently been reissued by Melodiya/BMG Classics). Today, Karine Georgian is a seasoned performer with a vast experience on concert platforms across the world, having appeared [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-12-02T22:43:14-05:00November 25th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Competition, Interviews, Performance|Tags: competitions, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pré, Thomas Hemsley, career, Glenn Gould, performance|

Conversation with Jeffrey Solow (May, 1995)

Interview by Tim Janof Jeffrey Solow is currently Associate Professor of Music at the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University. He is a renowned performer, cello pedagogue, and author. Two of his articles were recently voted to be in the top 10 of the last ten years in American String Teacher magazine. TJ: How did you get started on the cello? JS: It was from familial influence. There are three kids in my family, of which I am the youngest. When each of us reached about 7 years old, my parents asked us what instrument we wanted to play. My older brother had played cello for awhile and somehow that stuck with me when it was my turn to decide. So I emulated him and picked the cello. [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-11-18T22:22:07-05:00November 11th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Competition, Interviews, Performance, Playing Healthy, Repertoire, Self Discovery|Tags: Technical Development, Bach Cello Suites, competitions, laurence lesser, Interpretation, Gregor Piatigorsky|

Conversation with Bion Tsang (July, 1997)

Interview by Tim Janof Bion Tsang has appeared as soloist with the New York, Moscow, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, the National, American, Atlanta, and Pacific Symphony Orchestras, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Taiwan National Orchestra. Mr. Tsang's career as a chamber musician has been equally distinguished, marked by numerous collaborations with violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Pamela Frank, frequent appearances as guest artist of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and performances at festivals such as Marlboro Music, the Portland and Seattle Chamber Music Festivals, and the Laurel Festival of the Arts, where he serves as Artistic Director. TJ: You studied with some illustrious musicians- Leonard Rose, William Pleeth, and Aldo Parisot. What were they like as teachers? BT: I didn't study long enough with Leonard Rose or William Pleeth [...]

By Tim Janof|2022-11-09T21:16:52-05:00October 7th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Chamber Music, Competition, Interviews, In the Practice Room, Pablo Casals, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Pablo Casals, career, Aldo Parisot, Leonard Rose, William Pleeth, Portato, Projection, Rostropovich, competitions|

Conversation with Hans Jorgen Jensen (April, 2006)

Interview by Tim Janof Hans Jørgen Jensen is currently Professor of Cello at Northwestern University and a faculty member of both Meadowmount School of Music and The National Arts Center's Young Artist Program. Mr. Jensen received a Soloist Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark as a student of Asger Lund Christiansen and studied with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins at the Juilliard School. In addition, he studied with Pierre Fournier in Geneva, Switzerland. At Juilliard he studied chamber music with Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss. From 1979 to 1987 he was Professor of Cello at the School of Music at the University of Houston. He has been a guest professor at the School of Music at the University of Southern California, the Tokyo College of Music, and [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T14:57:41-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, Bach, Hans Jensen, Beethoven, Hans Jorgen Jensen, bow, CelloMind, vibrato, Christiansen, Northwestern, tennis ball, competitions, adapting, height, Internet Cello Society, hand size, Pedagogy|

Cellist Jeremy Tai Wins Irving M. Klein International String Competition 2017

Reposted from The Strad. The 18-year-old Bienen School of Music student receives the top prize of $13,000 and concert engagements Cellist Jeremy Tai has won first prize at the 32nd Annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition, held at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The 18-year-old California native, who is currently studying with Hans Jørgen Jensen at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, received the top prize of $13,000 and concert engagements for his final round performance of Lisa Bielawa’s Insomnia Etude #3, and works of Grieg and Prokofiev. Second prize, worth $5,500, went to 20-year-old violist Zhanbo Zheng, while third prize, worth $2,500, went to 20-year-old violinist Kyumin Park. This year’s winners were whittled down from 99 applicants from 13 countries, aged between 15 and 23, by [...]

By Blogmaster|2017-10-30T04:19:41-04:00June 7th, 2017|Categories: Competition, News|Tags: Klein competition, competitions|

French Cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière Wins Queen Elisabeth Competition 2017

Reposted from The Strad. "Victor Julien-Laferrière has this evening been named the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2017. The 26-year-old French cellist triumphed in finals, held throughout this week in Brussels’ Palais des Beux Arts, performing the compulsory commission by Toshio Hosokawa and Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Stéphane Denève. He receives a grand prize of €25,000 and concert opportunities. Second prize, worth €20,000, was awarded to 22-year-old Japanese cellist Yuya Okamoto, while third prize, worth €17,000 went to 22-year-old Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia. 22-year-old Aurélien Pascal from France, 25-year-old Ivan Karizna from Belarus and 22-year-old Brannon Cho from the US received the €12,000 fourth prize, €10,000 fifth prize and €8,000 sixth prize respectively. The remaining six unranked finalists—Sihao He, Seungmin Kang, Maciej Kułakowski, JeongHyoun Christine Lee, Yan Levionnois and Bruno Philippe—each received [...]

By Blogmaster|2017-07-19T04:36:26-04:00June 4th, 2017|Categories: Competition, News|Tags: competitions|

Reflections from the Bleachers — by Melissa Kraut

I am not cut out to be a swimming mom. Seriously. I am a cellist, an artist that uses classical music to parse the profound issues of humankind. I deal with emotions, both broad and subtle, grand and intimate. I’m on a journey to refine a skill that I will spend my lifetime trying to achieve, and working on finding ways to convey my passion to others, to convey what is in my soul through my instrument. I’m a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, how can I possibly take on the role of swimming mom?? My daughter, a freshman in high school, is an avid swimmer, so it came as no surprise when she tried out for the high school swimming team last October. As much as I [...]

By Melissa Kraut|2017-10-22T23:03:30-04:00March 14th, 2013|Categories: Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Self Discovery|Tags: repetition, getting enough sleep, orchestra, stretch, progress, high school orchestra assembly, successful musicians, exercise, increments, swimming mom, swimming, Interlochen Arts Academy, tempo, unhealthy, Cleveland Institute of Music, letter jacket, Wenger chairs, achieve a common goal, Melissa Kraut, frustration, athlete, pool, passion, bleachers, timing, refine a skill, chamber music, competitions, cello, Reflections fro the bleachers, training, early morning practice, cellobello, sick, discipline, eat well, professor, sleep well|