Julia Mirzoev, violin (Winner)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Toronto, Canada
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Being able to emotionally relate to the piece. I like to try and vividly live through all of my pieces, which can prove to be a little exhausting at times!
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
A lot of electro-funk.
How does music connect you to the community?
Whether it is exposing the community to new works of lesser-known composers, or brightening someone's day with a popular work close to their heart, I love being able to hear about and learn from audience members' experience, as there are many things to be discovered from the listeners' perspective. They are who at the end of the day,enable us to share our music and do what we do.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
The immense honour of winning the Golden Violin Award would enable me to comfortably continue pursuing my goals next year as an emerging professional. As I will most likely be out of school for the first time (how scary!), having an extra cushion of financial support would enable me to more easily apply for travel residencies, fund applications and travel expenses for a more diverse number of competitions and festivals, book recording sessions, and fund private lessons.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be?
What would you want to know?
I would have loved to meet Nikolai Kapustin, especially since he passed away so recently, in 2020. As I discovered his piece, I came to discover of his passing, sadly. I would have loved to know more about his experiences and influences with jazz music within the Russian jazz-movement of the late 20th century. I also have questions as to how specific parts of the sonata directly translate into certain improvisatory jazz practices, like for instance, in the second movement, there is a large improvisatory solo written out in the violin. It sounds to me like it was influenced by eclectic trumpet or saxophone riffs, and it would be interesting to know more.
When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
When I’m not practicing and preparing, my favourite thing to do is honestly to talk with friends and family members, these days mostly on the phone or on video chat. No matter what it is about, I love having interesting conversations. Beyond that, I honestly find rest (both mental and physical) to be critical to allow myself the time to process the work I do when I practice.
What’s next for you?
My quartet is very much looking forward to participating in the live rounds of the Wigmore Hall String Quartet competition in April of 2022, as this has been a long-time dream for us.Ìý
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Astrid Nakamura, violin (2nd place)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Toronto
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Connecting with other people.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I like listening to Flo Milli and Doja Cat right before performances.
How does music connect you to the community?
I think music can connect us through being more aware and empathetic to each other. The way we experience life is so different from person to person, and music can be our window into how somebody is feeling or what they are going through.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
Winning the award would help me afford to continue my studies in graduate school
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would love to meet Ruth Crawford Seeger, and find out who her favourite artists at the time were.
What’s next for you?
Grad school hopefully! But until then, lots of art history papers, working with my piano trio, and enjoying Montréal with my friends.
Samuele Parrini, violin (3rd place)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I'm from Greenville, South Carolina. It's a lot warmer down there.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Joy! I feel an immense gratitude every time I pick up my violin that reminds me of how lucky I am to be doing what I love.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Have you heard of Silk Sonic? No? You might want to fix that.
How does music connect you to the community?
Most of the experiences I've had and friends I've made in my life are because of music. It creates a special thread between my heart and the hearts of those who listen, which is a connection I will always cherish.Ìý
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
As I look forward to further pursuing my studies in graduate school, the Golden Violin Award would provide a huge boost (and a huge relief!). Studying here at McGill for the past four years has been both eye- and ear-opening, and it would be a privilege to receive such a prize.Ìý
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be?
What would you want to know?
Even if the rest of them were still alive, I'd still want to (and hope to eventually) meet Jessie Montgomery. The Rhapsody I'm playing is the second of six that she intends to write as an homage to Bach's 6 solo sonatas and partitas and Ysaye's 6 solo sonatas, and the first two are already extraordinary. I'd love to know what drives her imagination when conceptualizing these works, and I can't wait to study the next four!
What’s next for you?
Immediately after the competition, I'm looking forward to visiting family in Italy for the first time in a few years and spending a much-needed holiday with them! After the break, I'll be busy auditioning at various schools, and I look forward to bringing my artistry to new heights during my graduate studies, wherever they may be.
