STUDENT LAUNCHES MUSIC COMPETITION
The possibility of building an international music competition in her hometown of Houston has lingered in the mind of violinist Catherine Wu since she was a junior at Stratford High School.
Over a year later, in January 2020, the chrysalis of her aspiration began to take shape, but it was not until the pandemic hit shortly after that the true value of her endeavor — not to mention, the serendipitous timing of bringing it to fruition — came to light.
Now a freshman at Northwestern University, pursuing a dual degree in global health and violin performance, Wu realized that her mission is in fact rooted in the harmonious synergy between these two passions. As a competition director, she seeks to celebrate the artistic achievements of rising talent around the world, but her desired influence extends beyond the awards ceremony.
“COVID-19 has impacted our mental health tremendously, and there’s a widespread feeling of losing motivation and focus,” she says. “What I really wanted to do was to create a competition that gives all young artists a source of inspiration and a goal to work towards during this time.”
Under the guidance of artistic adviser Yan Tong, Wu and her team of fellow young artists — Kevin Zhan, Daniel Ma and Grace Pan — will launch the first annual Houston International Music Competition this spring in a fully online format.
The opportunity, which is open to all orchestral instrumentalists and pianists, features a junior and senior division for ages 7 to 13 and 14 to 18, respectively, and within a week following the application deadline on March 13, the participants are required to submit a prescreening video of themselves performing one piece of musical merit, such as Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy” or Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata.
From the preliminary submissions, a jury of five professional musicians — Gregory Allen, Yue Bao, Lin Ma, Marilyn McDonald and Brinton A. Smith — will decide on a select number of contestants to proceed to the next round. Taking place via Zoom on the first Saturday in April, the finals will be free and open to the public with a livestream available on the Houston International Music Competition’s YouTube channel. The victors, including honorable mentions, will perform in a virtual winners’ concert two weeks later, on April 17, and again in August, for the competition’s inaugural outreach concert, when they will be presented their awards.
There are a total of 12 prizes, split between the two age groups, with the top senior receiving an $800 scholarship and the top junior earning $500 to assist with expenses related to their music education, from instrument maintenance to college tuition. Plus, the performer from each division who best dazzles the crowd on April 17 will be given an additional audience choice award of $300. In this way, Wu takes pride in uplifting not only the participating young artists but also the parents who have struggled during the pandemic.
Wu is proud to give back to her community and contribute to the improvement of music education, but the Houston International Music Competition is not her only avenue of doing so. She also maintains a teaching assistant position at the Vivace International School of Music, which was founded by Tong, a first violinist with the Houston Symphony and one of Wu’s greatest role models.
Competitions have played a significant role in Wu’s perseverance throughout her training. She took home the grand prize in the Casa Argentina Competition and the Stratford Concerto Competition, and she placed second in the Houston Civic Symphony Young Artist Competition and the U.S.-China Star International Competition. For all four years of high school, she earned a seat in the esteemed TMEA All-State symphony and string orchestras, and following her audition as a senior, she ranked first in the state of Texas.
The recognition was always gratifying, as were the awards, she explains. Even so, it was the impact that these challenging events had on her mentality that made a lasting mark on her, and that is what she hopes to share with her fellow musicians.
“Competitions really stretched the boundaries of my music potential,” she says. “They are mentally strengthening, and from personal experience, I know that, while they are really tough on students, they help them become better musicians, become better people and become more connected to music in general.”