Canadian is top viola
OrchestrasThe Primrose Competition, a kind of world cup for violists, has been won by Emad Zolfaghari, from Toronto.
He is 19 and studying at Curtis.
Second was Kinga Wojdalska, 25, from Poland.
This year’s competition, named for the British violist William Primrose, was held at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Emad says: ‘I would like to sincerely thank Christophe Landon for loaning me his incredible 1719 Carlo Bergonzi viola for the competition.’
One might say Munich ARD is a viola world cup. Bravo to this young violist. The Primrose was once cleverly designed to feature a limited repertoire of four or five works.
My father had known Mr. Primrose in the NBC Symphony long before he was billed as a solo viola player. As with David Oistrakh, a late solo career brings depth.
Emad is a true gift to the viola world! He played in my strings program while in high school. My jaw dropped on day 1 of grade 9. It was clear even then that he was headed straight to the top. Sincere congratulations to him for this well deserved top prize
Although counterintuitive to the goals all musicians share as they grow up: (of making beautiful music as opposed to winning at playing showpieces) these are still fun to watch: more Eurovision than World Cup.
My only wish is that they had all 3 played the same piece in the finals concert: I suspect we might have had a different outcome, but it was still fun to watch.
When it comes to solo playing, each artist has their strong points, so allowing candidates to “choose their weapon” is part and parcel of the selection process. For a symphony job, it’s apples to apples. For a soloist, it’s about their personal style and ability to communicate.
Congratulations to Mr. Zolfaghari.
The autobiography of William Primrose, “Walk on the North Side,” is well worth seeking out.