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The
The Vendome Prize
2019
Alexis Gregory, President and Founder
Matei Varga, Project Manager and Artistic Advisor
Dorothy Yeung, Verbier Manager
Vendome
Prize
Stephanie Rouher, Treasurer
info@vendomeprize.com
www.vendomeprize.com
for Piano
at the
Verbier Festival
Tickets:
verbierfestival.com
July 23 Finals:
CHF 50
CHF 25 students
July 20, 21 Semi-Finals: Entry is free
Telephone:
+41 (0) 848 771 882
Monday to Friday
20 Years of Vendome Prize The 2019 Competition
Upon its first edition which took place at the UNESCO The prize is open to candidates from around the
Palace in Paris in November 2000, The Vendome Prize world between the ages of 18 and 28. The application
was described by Le Figaro as “the world’s most prestigious process is by invitation only. The Vendome selection
competition.” The runner-up then was 20 year old Russian- committee reached out to some of the leading professors and
born Yevgeny Sudbin who went on to build a major conservatories in the world and asked for recommendations
international career and to become one of the most sought- of exceptional young artists who are ready to embark on an
after pianists today. Over the next 18 years, Vendome has international career. Subsequently, all recommended pianists
traveled from New York to Lisbon, from London to Vienna, were invited to submit a full dossier and a high level DVD
and finally settled in Verbier in 2014. Major stars have recording, based on which the jury selected 12 semi-finalists
started their ascent on the international scene as Vendome to appear in Verbier. Every semi-finalist receives up to
alumni: Boris Giltburg, Denis Kozhukhin, George Li, Yekwon $1,000 towards competition-related expenses. The pianists
Sunwoo and many others. must provide a 90-minute recital program from which the
These achievements speak about what Vendome Chairman of the jury chooses the selections they will be
has become since its creation by art historian, collector and performing. Unlike many other contests, the only obligatory
piano aficionado Alexis Gregory. Mr. Gregory has dedicated requirement is a Beethoven sonata.
much of his time and energy to discover exceptionally The first prize is $25,000, the second $15,000, and the
talented young pianists. He follows their careers and offers third $10,000. This year the 12 semi-finalists will be heard on
individual help and guidance even to those who don’t win July 20 and 21, playing in two 3-hour sessions every day, one
the top honors in his competition. Therefore simply being starting at 10 a.m. and the other at 2:30 p.m.; three pianists
one of the semi-finalists of the Prize could potentially mean will be chosen for the final Gala Concert on July 23 at 6:30
a defining step in developing an artist’s career. p.m., where each laureate will play one or several movements
Performance musicians generally enter the most difficult from their chosen concerto (with the Calidore String Quartet)
period of their lives immediately after they have finished as well as solo selections.
their studies, a period that lasts until they have finally
gained a solid foothold in the professional world. At this
stage they need help, advice, funding, and a chance to prove
themselves in front of a large audience. A proper recording, Competition Schedule
participation in master classes, publicity materials, and Deadline for submitting the Application Form and all other
active management are other elements necessary to documents: December 15, 2018
winningly introduce a talented performer to the public.
Notification of results after the DVD screening: March 1, 2019
The purpose of the Vendome Prize is to discover, reward,
support, and guide future professional artists who are
technically perfect, magnetic, original, and ambitious, in The Competition in Verbier
possession of a large repertoire and ready to undertake the July 20, 21 (sessions at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the
challenges of a performing career. Cinéma de Verbier). Semi-Finals (solo repertoire, chosen
by the jury from the submitted list of each candidate).
Decision by jury shortly after the last pianist performs.
July 23 July 23 Evening Gala Concert at 6:30 p.m. in the
Eglise de Verbier, followed by the Award Ceremony
LIVE broadcast on
2 The Vendome Prize The Vendome Prize 3
Board of Advisors
Alexis Gregory, c hai r ma n Alexis Gregory, President
Prince Amyn Aga Khan and Founder of the
Gustav Alink Vendome Prize
Gordon Back Alexis Gregory was born
Mercedes Bass in Switzerland of Russian
parents and graduated in
Pierre Bergé
art history magna cum laude
Duchess of Cadaval from Harvard University
Bruce Crawford in 1957. He founded The
Paula Cussi Vendome Press, a book
M. & Mme. Michel David-Weill publishing house with a
special commitment to
Pavlina Dokovska
the fine arts, music, architecture and culture in general.
Dame Vivien Duffield He has been co-publisher of the Journal of Art, served as a
Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Getty member of Sotheby’s Advisory Board and is on the Visiting
John Gilhooly Committee of Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sir Ronald Grierson and the Fogg Museum. His private foundation is devoted
to the fine arts and music. He served for three years as
Michael Haefliger
Chairman of the American Friends of the Israel Museum.
Byron Janis He has written several books on travel and the gilded
Stephen Kovacevitch age and was a contributor to many magazines including
Luis Pereira Leal The Journal of Art, Art and Auction, Vanity Fair, Condé-Nast
Elizabeth Leonskaya Traveler, Travel Holiday, Town and Country and Air France
Madame. His latest books are The Golden Age of Travel,
Christa Ludwig
Families of Fortune, Paris de Luxe and In the Spirit of Venice.
M. Marcie-Rivière Mr. Gregory has built a major collection of Italian
Constantine Orbellian Renaissance bronzes, collects French and Italian old master
Marchesa Cristina Pucci paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries as well as French
Robert Silvers 18th and 19th century paintings. He is Chevalier of France’s
highest civilian decoration, the Legion d’Honneur, is an
Mrs. Paul Soros
officer of France’s Order of Arts and Letters and a Cavalliere
Raimund Trenkler al’Merito della Reppublica Italiana. This last decoration was
Martin T:son Engstroem given in recognition of his services to the Italian publishing
Matei Varga industry.
Ilana Vered Mr. Gregory supports many particularly talented
musicians and serves on several boards of classical music
Susan Wadsworth
institutions in the U.S. and abroad. In 2000 he founded the
Lady Weidenfeld Vendome Prize for Piano.
Robert Wilson He lives in New York City and Paris, and has a winter
home in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
4 The Vendome Prize The Vendome Prize 5
“As Chairman of the Jury “I am forever grateful to
and the pre-selection have been a Laureate of
committee, I warmly The Vendome Prize and
welcome you to the to have met Mr. Alexis
Vendome Prize 2019. Gregory. He is by far the
We were thrilled to warmest person I know,
accept 12 superb young is an open-hearted and
pianists whom we chose genuine supporter of
as semi-finalists for this music, and his love for
year’s Vendome Prize at arts in general truly
the Verbier Festival. influences the whole
Vendome has always community. Thanks to the
© Jino Park
discovered exceptional talent, as proven by former Vendome Prize, I had the
winners such as Yevgeny Sudbin, Denis Kozhukhin opportunity to perform at the renown Verbier Festival.
and Yekwon Sunwoo and I am convinced that the 2019 Piano competitions can often be quite political,
winner will follow proudly in their steps. but the experience with Vendome will warm
We are excited to return to Verbier for the third your heart and make you fall in love with music
time this summer. This is a partnership between even more deeply.”
two wonderful musical organizations, both of which
—Yekwon Sunwoo, Vendome winner 2014 and Gold Medalist
have an unparalleled gift for seeking and nurturing
at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
outstanding artists.
The Vendome Prize is different from most other
competitions in that we only accept candidates who
are recommended to us by some of the leading music
conservatories in the world. Therefore from the very
beginning the level is extremely high and our aim is to
discover the truly great artists among them, those who
have the capacity to shape and influence the future
of music.
We are indebted to Alexis Gregory for founding and
creating this unique event and to Martin Engstroem
for making it a part of the Verbier Festival.”
—Gordon Back, Chairman of the Jury
6 The Vendome Prize The Vendome Prize 7
Jury
“I am delighted to Gordon Back, c hai r ma n
welcome the Vendome Martin T:son Engstroem
Prize and our dear friend Joaquín Achúcarro
Alexis Gregory back to Pavlina Dokovska
the Verbier Festival. We Christopher Elton
are excited to be working Yevgeny Sudbin
in collaboration with
Alexis in his quest to
seek out, reward, support Past Winners
and guide future leading
pianists who are ready to 2000
undertake the challenges First Prize Alberto Nosé
© Aline Paley
of a performing career. Second Prize Yevgeny Sudbin
Through the Vendome Prize, which is now celebrating Vendome Virtuosi Iddo Bar-Shai and Nicolas Stavy
20 years of activities, his efforts have been made
public and I am glad that the Verbier Festival has been 2003
able to associate itself with Alexis for the third time. First Prize ex aequo Giuseppe Albanese and Boris Giltburg
We are also thrilled to be able to offer the winner of Second Prize Alexander Pirojenko
the Vendome Prize their recital debut at the Verbier Vendome Virtuosi Davide Cabassi and Matei Varga
Festival in 2020.”
2006
—Martin T:son Engstroem, Founder and Executive Director First Prize Stephen Beus
of the Verbier Festival Second Prize Andrei Korobeinikov
Vendome Virtuosi Roman Rabinovich and Matei Varga
2009
First Prize Denis Kozhukhin
Second Prize Dmitri Levkovich
Vendome Virtuosi Sean Kennard, Di Wu and Zuo Zhang
2014
First Prize Yekwon Sunwoo
Second Prize George Li
Third Prize Jayson Gillham
Vendome Virtuosi François Dumont and Steven Lin
2017
First Prize not awarded
Second Prize ex aequo Sam Hong and Do-Hyun Kim
Third Prize Aristo Sham
Vendome Virtuosi Ruoyu Huang and Tomoki Sakata
8 The Vendome Prize The Vendome Prize 9
2019 Semi-Finalists
Alim Beisembayev was Albert Cano Smit, 22,
born in Kazakhstan in 1998 is the 1st prize winner of
and began playing the piano the 2017 Naumburg Piano
at the age of five. In 2008 Competition. He has
he was admitted to the performed across Europe
Central Music School in and America, and has been
Moscow where he trained praised for playing “with the
for two years after which maturity of someone three
he continued his studies at times his age” (CBC Music)
the Purcell School for Young and described as “a superb
Musicians in the UK. musician” (Le Devoir). This
Alim has played with the season’s highlights include
Orchestra of Evgeny Svetlanov, the Tchaikovsky Symphony his recital debuts at Carnegie Hall, L’Auditori de Barcelona,
Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra among Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Fondation Louis Vuitton in
others, under conductors Mark Gorenstein, Dmitry Liss, Paris, Wissembourg, Rheingau, and Bravo! Vail festivals, a
Evgeny Bushkov, Mei Ann Chen and Karina Canellakis. recital tour featuring the premiere of Miquel Oliu’s preludes,
He is the winner of the 1st prize in the inaugural Cliburn collaborations with Will Hagen and Anthony Trionfo across
International Junior Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, Europe and the US, and concerto debuts with orchestras in
and was awarded 3rd prize at the Liszt International Junior San Diego, OBC, and Las Vegas. Albert has appeared at the
Competition in Weimar. Other awards include 1st prize at Bozar in Brussels, the Maison Symphonique in Montreal,
both the Manchester International Concerto Competition Teatros del Canal in Madrid, and the Palau de la Musica in
and the Jaques Samuel Intercollegiate Piano Competition— Barcelona, performing with the Orchestre Symphonique de
the latter which led to his Wigmore Hall debut recital Montreal and the Manchester Camerata, among others.
in June 2018. Alim was a guest of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune A passionate chamber musician, he has collaborated with
promoting his concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where he the Ebène, Casals, Gerhard, Szymanowski and Zemlinsky
performed Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. Quartets, Andrej Bielow, Gary Hoffman, Lev Sivkov and
As of September 2016, he studies with Tessa Nicholson William Hagen. He was a finalist and CMIM Grant recipient
at the Royal Academy of Music in London on a full of the 2017 Concours International Musical de Montréal. He
scholarship and attended the Verbier Festival Academy studies with Robert McDonald at the Juilliard School in New
in 2018. York, and receives career advice from Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
He has participated in Master Classes with Ferenc Rados,
Stephen Hough, Kevin Kenner, Richard Goode and Sergei
Babayan. He is an alumni of the Verbier Academy. He
attended the Verbier Festival Academy in 2017.
10 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 11
Luigi Carroccia, 28, Sae Yoon Chon, 23, is
was born into a musical the 1st prize winner of the
family and his first piano 2018 Dublin International
teachers were his father Piano Competition. His
and grandfather. Later on numerous other accolades
he studied with Giorgia include prizes at the Young
Alessandra Brustia at Concert Artists International
the Claudio Monteverdi Auditions in New York, the
Conservatory in Bolzano Jose Iturbi Competition, as
and Pascal Nemirovski at well as piano competitions
the Royal Conservatory in Los Angeles, Seoul and
Birmingham, where he Hilton Head.
received a full scholarship and a Junior fellowship. At only 18 Sae Yoon performed with the Cleveland
Luigi has been praised for his musical sensitivity and Orchestra, under the baton of Jahja Ling. He has since
unique personality. Critic Gregory Sullivan Isaacs wrote been a guest soloist with the RTE National Symphony
about him: “They can all play the notes rapidly and most can Orchestra of Ireland, as well as the orchestras of Valencia
even get into the music. Carroccia is something different. (Spain), Bucheon (South Korea), the Royal Conservatory
He has that elusive who-knows-what that separates one (Canada), Mississauga (Canada), Astana (Kazakhstan) and
artist from the others.” Hilton Head (USA), collaborating with conductors Andrew
He is a prize winner of the Maria Herrero International Mogrelia, Tania Miller, Burno Aprea, Young Min Park, John
Competition and the Premio Claudio Abbado, and Morris Russell, Jahja Ling, Erzhan Dautov, Ja Kyung Year
has distinguished himself at the Ferruccio Busoni and Denis Mastromonaco.
International Piano Competition, the 17th International Sae Yoon’s 2018–19 season includes a solo recital at the
Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and the 2017 Van Cliburn Gewandhaus (Leipzig), as well as engagements in Spain,
International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. Italy, Ireland, Canada, South Korea and Germany. Next
Luigi performed in Italy, Poland, Turkey, United States, year he will make his recital debuts at the National Concert
England, Bulgaria, Germany and Japan. He recently Hall in Dublin and the Wigmore Hall in London. Future
recorded a Chopin program for Radio Classica and was engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall and a
awarded a medal for his performances of works by Scriabin debut with the London Symphony Orchestra.
at the Mejdunaroden Festival in Kjustendil. Sae Yoon started playing piano at the age of five. He
Since September 2018, Luigi has been an artist in currently studies with John O’Conor at The Glenn Gould
residence of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel where School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto,
he studies with Louis Lortie. where he is the recipient of a Temerty Foundation
Scholarship.
12 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 13
Dmytro Choni won the 1st Ivan Krpan was born
prize and Gold Medal at in Zagreb in 1997 into
the 2018 Paloma O’Shea a musical family. He
Santander International began studying the piano
Piano Competition. He at the age of six at the
is also a laureate of Blagoje Bersa Music School
the Ferruccio Busoni in Zagreb with prof. Renata
International Piano Strojin Richter. From 2013
Competition (Italy, 2017), he studies with Ruben
the San Marino International Dalibaltayan at the Music
Piano Competition (San Academy in Zagreb, where
Marino, 2016), and top earlier this year he earned
winner at the Bösendorfer International Piano Competition his Master’s degree.
(USA, 2019), the Los Angeles International Piano In 2017 Ivan won the 1st prize at the Ferruccio Busoni
Competition (2018) and the Roma International Piano International Piano Competition in Bolzano (Italy). Other
Competition (Italy, 2017). Dmytro is also the recipient of major awards include 1st prize at the Ettlingen International
the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize (2017). Competition, 2nd prize in the International Danube Piano
He performs regularly as a soloist with orchestras such Competition in Ulm, as well the annual Ivo Vuljević prize
as the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Republic of San awarded by the Jeunesses Musicales Croatia for the
Marino Symphony Orchestra, the Ensemble Esperanza, best young musician (2015). He ranked 3rd at the 10th
the Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra, and the Suzhou Moscow International Frederick Chopin Competition for
Symphony Orchestra. Young Pianists in 2016 and in the same year he was named
He appeared at the Kissinger Sommer Festival in the Young Musician of the Year by The Zagreb Philharmonic
Germany, the Santander International Festival in Spain, the Orchestra. Last year he made his debut studio recording
Next Generation Classic Festival Bad Ragaz in Switzerland, for the streaming platform Idagio with works by Schumann
as well as the Salle Cortot in Paris and Teatro Colón in and Chopin. Futures engagements include concerts in Italy,
Buenos Aires, where his performances were highly praised. Germany, South Korea and Japan.
As a passionate chamber musician he collaborated with
Cuarteto Quiroga, Quartetto di Cremona, violinists Andrej
Bielow, Orest Smovzh and Mari Samuelsen.
Dmytro Choni was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1993.
He received his first piano lesson at the age of four. He
is currently studying with Milana Chernyavska at the
University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.
14 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 15
Daumants Liepiņš, 24, has Mackenzie Melemed, 24,
already established himself currently studies in the
as one of the core musicians highly selective, two-year
in his country—in 2017 he Artist Diploma program at
won the Grand Prix of the The Juilliard School with
Lielā Mūzikas Balva (Latvian Robert McDonald and
National Grand Music Emanuel Ax. Previously
Award) in the Young Artist he earned his Bachelor of
of the Year category, which Music and Master of Music
is the most prestigious degrees from the same
award for a classical school, having worked with
musician in Latvia. In 2019 distinguished artists such
he won the top prize at the Maria Canals Competition as Vladimir Feltsman, Stephen Hough, Robert Levin, Susan
(Barcelona) and last year he became laureate of the George Starr, and Nelita True.
Enescu International Piano Competition where he took the Melemed is the recipient of the 2018 Arthur Rubinstein
2nd prize. He was also the 1st prize winner in the 8th Nordic Piano Prize and the Leo B. Ruiz Recital Prize awarded by
Piano Competition in 2017, the 3rd prize winner in The Fifth The Juilliard School and as a result of this he will make his
RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall debut in December. He has
in Manchester in 2016, UK and the 4th prize winner and performed throughout the United States, Finland, Poland
the recipient of the special Prize for Artistry at Tbilisi and Sweden. Melemed started his 2018–19 season in
International Piano Competition in 2017, Georgia. Besides October with a concert tour of Finland, where he performed
regular solo performances throughout the world, Daumants solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and concerti
has performed with several symphony orchestras, with orchestra. Highlights of that tour include the first
including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, performance of Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Helsinki
the Helsingborg Symphony orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and the European premiere of
Philharmonic in Bucharest and the Georgian National South Korean composer Jeajoon Ryu’s Piano Concerto with
Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 he was chosen to participate Ralf Gothóni and the Kuopio City Orchestra. The tour was
in a workshop with Mitsuko Uchida when he made his arranged following his winning of the 1st prize and Chamber
debut at Carnegie Hall. Currently Daumants is studying Music Prize at the 2017 Maj Lind International Piano
at the Ingesund School of Music/Karlstad University in Competition in Helsinki.
Sweden with Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist. Melemed’s recording of Jeajoon Ryu’s Piano Concerto
with Ralf Gothóni and Sinfonia Varsovia will be released in
2019 on the Warner Classics label.
16 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 17
Born in Bucharest to a Yutong Sun is the 2nd
family of musicians, 25 prize winner at the 19th
year old Cristian Sandrin Paloma O’Shea Santander
started his musical training International Competition in
with Marina Dragomirescu Spain. He also received the
and Cristian Dumitrescu 3rd prize at the Maria Canals
at the “Dinu Lipatti” Art Competition in Barcelona
College. He is currently (2016) and the 1st prize
studying with Diana Ketler at the 54th International
and Christopher Elton at Piano Competition Prize
the Royal Academy of “Jaén” (2012). Other major
Music, where he earned honors include awards at
his Bachelor and Master degrees and is currently pursuing the Bösendorfer, New Orleans and Horowitz competitions.
the Advanced Degree program. Cristian is a scholarship Sun has made appearances in major venues around the
recipient from the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, Countess world such as Salle Cortot in Paris, Palau de la Música
of Munster Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, Carold in Barcelona, Jordan Hall in Boston, The Bolshoi Hall in
Craxton Memorial Prize, Help Musicians UK, the Hattori Saint Petersburg, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. He
Foundation and the Tillett Trust. Sandrin made his debuts has performed with the Quiroga Quartet and was soloist
at Wigmore Hall in 2017, La Fenice Theatre in 2015 and with several symphony orchestras, such as Symphony
Salle Cortot in 2011. He also experiments with conducting Orchestra of Galicia, City of Granada Orchestra and
small orchestral ensembles from the keyboard during Piano RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Spain; Saint Petersburg
Festivals at RAM and is currently engaged in a long-term Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of
project involving the exploration of all Mozart’s Piano Ukraine, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and the Fort Worth
Sonatas. Cristian performed in festivals and venues in the Symphony. Born in 1995 in China, he is currently a student
UK, Romania, France, Netherlands and Germany. He is a of Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory.
Countess of Munster Recital Scheme artist 2018–20 and Yutong Sun’s first recital CD was recorded by Naxos in 2012
has won numerous prizes and distinctions in international and released worldwide the following year as part of Naxos’
piano competitions, such as the top prize of the Windsor Laureate Series.
International Piano Competition 2018, the Sheepdrove
Intercollegiate Piano Competition, Automobile Club de
France Piano Competition, the Animato Competition in
Paris, ProPiano International Competition or the Eastbourne
Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist competition. Cristian
is a recent recipient of the Harold Craxton Chamber Music
prize and the William Sterndale Bennett Prize from the
Royal Academy of Music.
18 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 19Zhu Wang, 21, was praised Yuchong Wu was born
for his “technical mastery into a musical family in
and deep sense of lyricism” Xianyang, China in 1995.
by The Durango Herald. He At only 15 he was accepted
is the 1st prize winner of with a full scholarship in
the Zhuhai International the pre-college program at
Mozart Competition for The Juilliard School, where
Young Musicians, Hilton he later earned his Bachelor
Head Young Artist Piano degree. During this time
Competition, Music he took lessons with Veda
Academy of the West Solo Kaplinsky, Matti Raekallio
Piano Competition and the and Robert McDonald. In
Juilliard School’s Gina Bachauer Competition. He is also addition, Yuchong has also worked with Paul Badura Skoda,
the recipient of the Juilliard Munz Scholarship. Zhu has Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, Robert Levin and Murray
been a featured soloist on WFMT’s Myra Hess Memorial Perahia. In 2009 he won the 2nd prize at the 6th Tchaikovsky
Concert Series and WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase. He International Youth Music Competition. In 2013 he won
was described by the legendary Fou T’song as an “excellent the special jury award and the audience prize at the Sendai
pianist with natural sense of harmony and imagination.” International Piano Competition. He was runner-up at the
Highlights of the 2019–20 season include recitals in 2016 Young Concert Artist International Auditions and
Shanghai, a tour with violinist Randall Goosby at Kennedy the 3rd prize winner at the Bosendorfer International Piano
Center (Washington, DC), Merkin Hall (New York), and Competition (2017). Last year he was a semi-finalist at
in Houston. Past engagements took him across the US the Leeds International Piano Competition, where he was
and internationally to China, Italy, Poland, and Japan at awarded a special prize for his performance with the Elias
prestigious venues such as the Warsaw Philharmonic String Quartet. Yuchong has collaborated with
Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Chicago Cultural the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National
Center and The Morgan Library. He made his concerto Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony and the
debut at age 14 with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic. Solo appearances include solo recitals
performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. He also at the Auditorium du Louvre, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall,
appeared with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Brunensis Alice Tully Hall, as well as performances in WQXR’s 32
Virtuosi Orchestra, San Juan Symphony, and Xiamen Beethoven sonatas cycle and From the Top.
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Zhu has worked with many leading pianists, among them
Gary Graffman, Stephen Hough and Murray Perahia. He
is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree at The
Juilliard School with Robert McDonald.
20 2019 Semi-Finalists 2019 Semi-Finalists 21Highlights of the 2017–18 season included debuts at the
Kennedy Center and in Boston, Philadelphia and Paris. The
quartet returns to Wigmore Hall and the Verbier Festival as
well as major series across North America from Montreal
to Seattle.
In the 2018–19 season, the Calidore returns to
Wigmore Hall and Lincoln Center and will make its debut
in major series in Munich, Copenhagen, San Francisco
and Toronto. They continue to collaborate in concerts with
the Emerson String Quartet as well as with Marc-Andre
Hamelin, Anne-Marie McDermott and Elena Bushka.
They presented the world premiere of Pulitzer-prize winner
Caroline Shaw’s newest string quartet “Three Essays” at the
© Sophie Zhai BBC Proms and will continue to perform it in Washington
D.C., Portland, and the University of Delaware. They
will also perform the world-premiere of a new work by
The Calidore String Quartet’s “deep reserves of virtuosity Marc-Anthony Turnage at the Chamber Music Society
and irrepressible dramatic instinct” (New York Times) and of Lincoln Center.
“balance of intellect and expression” (Los Angeles Times) has The Calidore String Quartet has released three
won them accolades across the globe and firmly established commercial recordings, the most recent of which is quartets
them as one of the finest chamber music ensembles by Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn recorded live in concert at
performing today. The Calidore String Quartet—violinists the 2016 Music@Menlo Festival. The French label Editions
Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry, Hortus released the Calidore String Quartet’s second
and cellist Estelle Choi—made international headlines as studio recording: Serenade: Music from the Great War,
the winner of the $100,000 Grand-Prize of the 2016 and featuring music for String Quartet by Hindemith, Milhaud
inaugural M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition, and Stravinsky, along with the world-premiere recording
the largest prize for chamber music in the world. Also in of Jacques de la Presle’s Suite en sol, and the second
2016, the quartet became the first North American ensemble recording ever of Ernst Toch’s Serenade. February 2015
to win the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and was named marked the release of the Calidore’s critically-acclaimed
BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. Most recently in 2017 debut recording of quartets by Mendelssohn and Haydn
the Calidore was honored with the Lincoln Center Emerging for which Gramophone dubbed the Calidore String Quartet
Artist Award. The 2017–18 season continued the Calidore’s “the epitome of confidence and finesse.”
three year residency with the Chamber Music Society of Using an amalgamation of “California” and “doré”
Lincoln Center’s CMS Two program. (French for “golden”), the ensemble’s name represents a
The Calidore String Quartet regularly performs in the reverence for the diversity of culture and the strong support
most prestigious venues throughout North America, Europe it received from its home of origin, Los Angeles, California,
and Asia such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln the “golden state.” The Calidore String Quartet aims to
Center, Seoul’s Kumho Arts Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus and at present performances that share the passion and joy of
many significant festivals, including Verbier, Ravinia, Mostly the string quartet chamber music repertoire.
Mozart, Music@Menlo, Rheingau, East Neuk and Festspiele
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. www.calidorestringquartet.com
22 The Vendome Prize The Vendome Prize 23You can also read
