Daniel Harding Named Music Director of China's Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area
British conductor Daniel Harding will be the next Music Director of China's Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) for an initial term of five years, beginning in 2024. Harding is only the second Music Director appointed to the role and succeeds cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
YMCG is a collaboration between the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Macao Orchestra. They come together with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in the Xinghai Concert Hall to strengthen musical ties across those four cities, all of which are in the Greater Bay Area.
Harding's role at the organization will include working alongside its founder Long Yu to develop the symphonic program. He will also be responsible for seeking out some of the world's best orchestral players to act as tutors, mentors, and chamber musicians for the program.
Violin Channel: VC Artist Paul Huang to Join Taiwan Philharmonic on American Tour
Known in Taiwan as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Taiwan Philharmonic (NSO) is one of the first international orchestras to be presented by the New York Philharmonic in David Geffen Hall in its return to the U.S. this spring.
The NSO’s 2023 tour follows previous successful tours of the U.S. with violinist Cho-Liang Lin in 2016, and with pianist Stephen Hough and violinist Yu-Chien Tseng in 2018.
This year VC Artist violinist Paul Huang will join the NSO, and its music director Jun Märkl, for its David Geffen Hall debut on the tour’s last three days with Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy Op. 46.
Violin Channel: 2024 Azrieli Music Prizes Now Accepting Applications
For its fifth competition, AMP is seeking scores and proposals for a cappella choral works
Established in 2014, the Canada-based Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) is comprised of four categories: The Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, The Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music, The Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music, and the inaugural Azrieli Commission for International Music.
The latter category is new to the competition and invites composers worldwide "to creatively engage with the richness of humanity’s diverse cultural heritage," according to AMP.
The 2024 competition is seeking submissions for a cappella choral works that will match the force of its Performance Partner, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Chorus (OSM Chorus), including up to four additional instruments and/or soloists.
Violin Channel: VC Artist Paul Huang Opens 2022/23 Season at the Taiwan Philharmonic
Huang will perform Bruch's Scottish Fantasy as part of a program of Scottish-themed music
As the featured soloist for the Taiwan Philharmonic, also known as National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Taiwan, VC Artist Paul Huang will perform alongside Music Director Jun Märkl. The season-opening programs will be presented in three venues: the National Concert Hall, the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Concert Hall, and the Taitung Art and Culture Center.
Huang will perform Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, as part of a Scottish-themed program that also includes Debussy's Marche écossaise sur un thème populaire and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 "Scottish."
Violin Channel: Dr. Sharon Azrieli on the Azrieli Music Prizes Competition
The Violin Channel recently sat down with Dr Azrieli, the visionary behind the Azrieli Music Prizes, the Azrieli Foundation Board Director, and the Board Liaison on the Azrieli Music Prizes Advisory Council.
Can you tell us about the Azrieli Foundation? When was it founded and what is its core mission?
Founded over 30 years ago by my father, David Azrieli, the Azrieli Foundation takes a thoughtful and creative approach to philanthropy.
“Listening to the Future” Documentary Highlights the Success of Chinese Contemporary Music
The Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing (CCOM)—founder of the Chinese Music Composition Center and a driving force in the global success of Chinese contemporary music— releases a documentary about the Chinese music of today: “Listening to the Future.” The 30-minute film chronicles the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra of Beijing’s Carnegie Hall debut and celebrates initiatives propelling Chinese Contemporary Music forward.
Violin Channel: Youth Music Culture Guangdong Instagram Takeover
VC recently caught up with the Youth Music Culture Guangdong Festival for a behind-the-scenes Instagram takeover – direct from Guangzhou, China. Takeover featuring violinist Johnny Gandelsman from Brooklyn Rider, cello luminary Yo-Yo Maand conductor Michael Stern.
Violin Channel: Meet the Pros – American Conductor Gerard Schwarz
The Violin Channel recently caught up with American conductor and trumpeter Gerard Schwarz – in New York City.
Violin Channel: Julian Schwarz – 'Considerations for Preparing the Rococo Variations'
In a VC exclusive guest blog, American cellist Julian Schwarz shares his top considerations for preparing Tchaikovsky's 'Variations on a Rococo Theme'