ONE FANTASTIC FIDDLER
Jacques Forestier, 13, is the lone Canadian to make it to the prestigious 2018 Menuhin Violin Competition in Geneva, which he calls “the Olympics” of violin competitions.
Like many toddlers, Jacques Forestier would make a fuss when his musician parents toted him along to concerts.
Unlike many toddlers, his unhappiness stemmed from being left out of the fun — he wanted to play instruments, too, his mother theorized.
She handed her two-year-old a violin. Jacques hasn’t put it down since. Now 13, Jacques is the only Canadian to qualify for the prestigious 2018 Menuhin Violin Competition, to be held in Geneva come April.
“I’m thrilled to be going to the wonderful city of Geneva, in Switzerland, and it’s an honour to be representing my country there,” the Edmonton teen said Monday morning as his mother, Marie Forestier, drove him to Mount Royal University in Calgary for his weekly lesson at the Conservatory Academy for Gifted Youth.
The global competition is “like the Olympics for violin,” Jacques said.
Established by violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1983, the competition is open to musicians under the age of 22. Held every other year, the 2018 event received entries from 317 youths across the globe, including the only 44 who were selected to perform. The youngest competitor is 10.
Winning a prize at Menuhin is a gateway to a career, the teenager said. It leads to a U.K. tour, concert invitations, master classes and potential recording deals.
If Jacques appears familiar, you may have spotted him around town performing at the Kiwanis music festival, or the downtown farmers’ market, or possibly on television, competing in Canada’s Got Talent when he was just seven.
At age nine, he dabbled in the theatre, playing the role of Michael Brown in the Citadel’s production of Mary Poppins. A year later, the 10-year-old fulfilled many a musicians’ dream when he played violin at New York’s Carnegie Hall after placing second in his category at the American Protege International Competition.
Home-schooled to accommodate his musical interests, Jacques is now completely focused on violin, and spends four to seven hours practising daily. “I believe that to do well in life, you really have to work hard from the start,” he said.
At the Menuhin, he’ll play Bach’s Sonata No. 3, Wieniawski’s EtudeCaprice, Romance, Opus 26 by Svendsen, and improvise based on a short tune the judges will provide. It’s a lot of pressure, he acknowledged, but he reasoned the hurdle is purely psychological.
“I’ve just got to keep my confidence, practise hard, and that’s all I can do,” he said.
The junior competition at Menuhin, for children under 16, takes place April 13-14.