International Musicians Perform in your Living Room
June 6 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and June 7 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Irving M. Klein International String Competition goes online and no tuxedo attire is required as the world’s top eight young string musicians perform for you in the comfort of your living room. Celebrating 35 years of helping the world’s top young musicians gain prominence in the competitive world of classical music, this competition will take place virtually starting at 10 a.m. each day on the #KleinOnline YouTube channel. Due to the lack of access to recording studios and to ensure equity for the semifinalists, each musician recorded at home and submitted one video of an unaccompanied work of Bach, followed by a second video of a complete concerto, also unaccompanied. A distinguished jury of seven will convene remotely to judge eight semifinalist performance videos to determine this year’s winners.

You will be among the audiences worldwide to see all eight semifinalists compete for cash prizes and performance contracts. Results will be announced online on June 7, 2020. Please let me know who was your choice. Produced by the California Music Center, the Klein International Competition is normally held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, but due to this year’s uncertain times, it will be held online. The Klein Competition has achieved international recognition as one of the most prestigious classical music competitions. The winner of this competition will perform in the Bay Area with the concert’s date to be announced in this column.

This year’s eight semifinalists showcase exceptional talent from the top teachers and conservatories in North America. Selected from 116 entrants representing 12 nationalities, the semifinalists are:

KEONI BOLDING, viola; age 21, Philadelphia PA;
attends The Juilliard School;
student of Hsin-Yun Huang and Cynthia Phelps.

 

 

GABRIELLE DESPRÉS, violin; age 19, Alberta Canada;
attends The Juilliard School;
student of Masao Kawasaki and Joseph Lin.

 

 

CAROLINE DURHAM, violin; age 18, Holladay UT;
attends Columbia University/The Juilliard School joint program;
student of Masao Kawasaki.

 

 

MASHA LAKISOVA, violin; age 18, Vernon Hills IL;
studies at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division;
student of Li Lin and Itzhak Perlman.

 

 

ENRIQUE RODRIGUES, violin; age 18, Fairlawn NJ, Canada;
studies at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division;
student of I-Hao Lee.

 

 

DONGYOUNG (JAKE) SHIM, violin; age 18, from Gyeonggi-do, South Korea;
attends New England Conservatory;
student of Donald Weilerstein.

 

 

JIAXUN (CAROLINE) YAO, cello; age 18, Qingdao, China;
attends The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division;
student of Richard Aaron and Sieun Lin.

 

 

DAVIS YOU, cello; age 18, Palo Alto CA;
attends Palo Alto High School;
student of Jonathan Koh.
 

 

Photos courtesy of California Music Center

 

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.