Next week a three-day competition hosted by the Dallas Chamber Symphony (DCS) will see top violinists battle it out for the top prize of $2,500 and the opportunity to perform a concerto next season.
Eleven competitors were selected among the applicants to this event showcasing not only a new pool of violinists but also the host city of Dallas.
“These are people who otherwise might not have any real reason to visit Dallas,” explained DCS music director Richard McKay, according to The Dallas Morning News.
This is the first year the contest is open to violinists aged 18 to 35, as it has focused on pianists in the past. DCS is shifting to holding three competitions for piano, violin, and cello players that will alternate each year.
While the first-place winner will get $2,500, the runners-up will receive $1,500 and $1,000 for second and third place, respectively.
Winning the piano competition has granted past players like Kenny Broberg and Jonathan Mamora the visibility needed to develop momentum in their careers in the challenging field of classical music.
The 11 violinists set to compete next week hail from countries like Japan, Italy, Ukraine, and South Korea. Yet nearly all of them have trained at North American classical music programs.
The competition begins with a Round 1 performance on June 15 at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
Since the competitors already submitted audition reels that were reviewed by a selection committee prior to this round, this is technically the quarterfinals.
Each violinist will perform a concerto from memory together with a piano accompaniment. Concertos last on average 30 minutes and are the most iconic of classical music pieces.
Round 2, the semifinals, will see only eight competitors advance. Held on June 16 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., each contestant will play a 20-minute solo piece from memory.
When the finals commence on June 20 at 7:30 p.m., just three violinists will remain. They will once again play a concerto, but this time accompanied by the entire DCS.
While the quarter- and semifinals will be hosted by the Arlington ISD Center for the Performing Arts, the finals will take place at Moody Performance Hall.
Attendance is free for the Arlington rounds, whereas tickets for the finals can be purchased here for prices ranging from $29 to $54.
As The Dallas Express previously covered, the Dallas Chamber Symphony is about to wrap up its free summer Parks Concerts series that saw the group performing at parks across Dallas. It began on May 29 and will close with a June 13 performance at Paul Quinn College.
Yet several other classical music performances are still slated for this summer, including the “Dallas Winds / Star Spangled Spectacular” on the Fourth of July.