Chamber Music Academy 2019
The school will start on July 07th and end on July 11th
Available pianos - Concert Steinway model D – Steinway model B
For rehearsing we have a Kaway RX3 a Yamaha silent and a Yamaha Upright
Eligible students are Violinists Violists Cellists and Pianists
Maestro Mintz will select according to the Videos provided by the candidates
A frequency certificate will be held to participants
Villa Sandra will host the accepted participants in its facilities
Included in the students will receive 3 meals a day
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Special Thanks to professor Qian Zhou for the collaboration
Critics, colleagues and audiences regard Shlomo Mintz as one of the foremost violinists of our time, esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique alike. This virtuoso violinist, violist and conductor, is heard regularly on the international stage with well-known orchestras and conductors and is also a much sought after chamber musician.
Born in Moscow in 1957, he immigrated to Israel with his family two years later, where he studied the violin with Ilona Feher. At the age of 11, he made his concert debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and at the age of 16 he made his debut in Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the patronage of Isaac Stern. He began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
At age 20 he made his first major European tour with famous conductors such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Antal Dorati and Eugene Ormandi and signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon.
Since then he regularly appears with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors on the international music scene and gives master classes around the world. He is president of the jury of the Violin Competition 'Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Japan; was President of the jury of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznan, Poland in 2011 and president and advisor of the International Violin Competition Sion Valais in Switzerland. In July 2017 the first “HKIVS Shlomo Mintz International Violin Competition" was launched in China.
Mintz won several prestigious prizes including the Diapason D’Or, the Gramophone and the Edison Award and the Cremona Music Award 2016.
Long bio (680 words)
Virtuoso violinist, violist and conductor
Critics, colleagues and audiences regard Shlomo Mintz as one of the foremost violinists of our time, esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique alike. This virtuoso violinist, violist and conductor, is heard regularly on the international stage with well-known orchestras and conductors and is also a much sought after chamber musician. Mintz’ style is compared with the old violin masters who laid the foundations of modern violin playing: rich, full tone and lush vibrato. His powerful use of the bow, intensity and ability to make the violin sound at times harrowing, is named as some of his other characteristics.
Ilona Feher, Isaac Stern and Dorothy Delay
Born in Moscow in 1957, he immigrated to Israel with his family two years later, where he studied the violin with Ilona Feher. At the age of 11, he made his concert debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and at the age of 16 he made his debut in Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the patronage of Isaac Stern. He began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
Appearances with major orchestras
At age 20 he made his first major European tour with famous conductors such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Antal Dorati and Eugene Ormandi. Since then he regularly appears with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors on the international music scene. In the 2012/2013 Season, he celebrated his 50th anniversary on stage with a concert with the National Orchestra of France in the Champs Elysées Theatre among other festivities. In the 2015/2016 seasons he was a guest in the prestigious "Brisbane Maestro Series" with Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Australia. In the season 2017 Shlomo Mintz celebrated his 60th birthday. A special “The Art of Shlomo Mintz” box with all his 13 CD’s was re-released with Deutsche Grammophon in the spring of 2017.
Important Competitions
In the season 2017 the first “HKIVS Shlomo Mintz International Violin Competition" was launched in Beijing, July'17. Shlomo Mintz has been a jury member of several important international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels. He was President of the Jury of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition and the Sion Valais International Violin Competition (Switzerland). Currently he presides over the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Nagoya, Japan and the Buenos Aires International Violin Competition Shlomo Mintz gives master classes around the world, among others in Crans Montana, Switzerland.
Music Advisor and “il Cannone” concert
Mintz was Music Advisor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra from 1989 to 1993. In March 1994 he was appointed artistic adviser and principal guest conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra (The Netherlands). He led the orchestra during four seasons, while regularly at the same time acted as conductor and soloist. In 1997, Shlomo Mintz played at the invitation of the Community of Genoa, the famous violin by Niccolo Paganini "Il Cannone", during a special concert with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, led by Yoel Levi. The concert was later broadcast on national Dutch TV in December 1997.
The young generation
In his role as patron of Keshet Eilon (Israel) and President of several competitions Mintz has made a major contribution to the career of the next generation of talented violinists such as David Garett, Alena Baeva, Francesca Dego, Roman Simovic (concertmaster London Symphony), Laura Marzadori (first female concertmaster at La Scala), Dami Kim, Fedor Rudin, Alma Deutscher, Renaud Capuçon and Sayaka Shoji.
Violins of Hope
Mintz frequently appears as a soloist in concerts for Violins of Hope, a project that aims to promote peace through music. The Violins of Hope were heard already in Paris, Sion (Switzerland), Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Charlotte, Sarasota and Cleveland (USA).
Prizes and special awards
Shlomo Mintz has won several prestigious prizes including the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Diapason D’Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Gramophone Award, the Edison Award and the Cremona Music Award 2016.
In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Israel.
shlomo
mintz
QIAN
ZHOU
Born in Hangzhou, China, Qian Zhou had her early training at the Shanghai Conservatory, winning first prize in the China National Competition in 1984. In 1985, she went to the United States where she completed her studies with Berl Senofsky at the Peabody Conservatory, before being also personally mentored by Piero Weiss.
At the age of 18, Qian Zhou received instant world-wide recognition with her brilliant triumph at the 1987 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris, breaking all precedent in the competition's 50-year history by winning the First Grand Prize and all five major prizes. Her victory and the international attention it drew enabled her immediate access to the major halls and performing opportunities around the globe.
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For more than 20 years, she has been a frequent recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Europe, United States, Asia and Africa. Past engagements include concerts with the Baltimore Symphony and Chamber, Beijing Central Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, BBC Scottish, Bournemouth Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, National Orchestra of Ile de France, New Japan Philharmonic , Osaka Symphony, Rome Symphony, Russian Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Spanish National, Taipei Symphony and the Vienna Chamber Orchestras amongst others while recital highlights include performances at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Vienna Concert Hall. While the Washington Post praised “her expressive talents, fluid phrases and delicate, at times almost weeping, vibrato, ” Le Figaro commended her "great violin playing”, acknowledging her as “a very great artist", and La Nazione in Florence noted “her performance was an inspired force…accompanied by a technical polish, communicative capacity, and an expressive candor that was absolutely enchanting”. After a performance at the Evian Festival under Rostropovich, the Dauphiné Libéré offered “she is a poet in the etymological sense: one who creates beauty and happiness".
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Qian Zhou’s ten CDs with the Naxos, Hugo and Hungaraton labels have embraced a wide range of repertoire from Bach to Bartok to also drawn praise of the highest calibre. Her recording of the Beethoven concerto was described by Henry Roth in The Strad as “technically impeccable… burnished with beautifully-focused tone, a vibrato that spans the full gamut of colour, and an astute sense of pacing, all replete with sensitive nuances“. He noted, “her phrasing is breath-taking; not a note is ‘wasted’ or ignored, all delivered with a rare nobility of spirit”. Her Glazunov concerto was perceived as “extraordinary: full-blooded, suave and sophisticated, yet uncommonly thoughtful”, while her recordings of the complete Dvorak works for violin piano were praised as “strikingly confident, each note invested with glowing lyrical import".
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Recent performances have included performances in Argentina, China, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, combining her enthusiasms and capacities as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. In December 2012, she was selected by CCTV for a programme which highlighted the 10 Outstanding Violinists of China. Upcoming performances include concertos in Australia, China, Hungary, Italy, Japan Russia and the Ukraine, with festivals including Qingdao (China), Bangalow, (Australia), InterHarmony (Italy) and Keshet Eilon (Israel).
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As the founding Head of Strings at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, she has combined her very active performance career with a passion for teaching which has now received equivalent high-level endorsement to that of her playing. With students already achieving considerable international success in Europe, Asia, America and Australasia, she is in much demand world-wide for masterclasses and as a participant in international juries.
Qian Zhou was promoted to Full Professor by NUS from 1 July. Qian Zhou’s contributions to the Conservatory from its inception have been of profound significance in shaping our identity and reputation. The distinctive quality of her teaching, mentorship (of students, curriculum and faculty), performances, leadership of a range of institutional, national and international projects and international ambassadorial interactions are now recognised globally.