Tomorrow’s stars

Watch performances by some of the world’s finest young violinists from this year’s Menuhin Competition in Richmond, Virginia

What do top violinists Julia Fischer, Tasmin Little and Alina Ibragimova have in common? They have all won prizes at the biennial Menuhin Competition, the prestigious violin contest founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1983. The Menuhin Competition, once based in Folkestone, UK, now travels around the world, honouring its founder’s ambition to break down barriers through music. This year’s event (14-24 May) takes place in Richmond, Virginia and sees collaborations with local institutions, including the Richmond Symphony, the City of Richmond, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University and VPM (Virginia’s Home for Public Media).

The jury – chaired by Pamela Frank – includes previous prizewinners Joji Hattori (1989), Ning Feng (2000), Soyoung Yoon (2002) and Ray Chen (2008), among others. And they’ll be deciding which of the 44 talented violinists will make it through to the finals, where the juniors (under 16s) perform a concerto from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and a new work by Richmond native Mason Bates. The senior finalists, all aged under 22, have the chance to perform their choice of concerto, from a given list, with the Richmond Symphony led by Andrew Litton. It’s not just up to the jury, though: audience members and online viewers can cast their vote to decide which violinists should receive the audience prizes.

The ancillary events that take place around the host city are equally as important as the competition rounds. Richmond will come alive with the sound of strings – including guest appearances from Mark O’connor, Regina Carter and the Sphinx Virtuosi. But if you can’t reach Richmond, there’s no need to miss out: select performances will be live-streamed on the competition’s website and the state of Virginia’s public media website.