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Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition: final round with The Cleveland Orchestra (July 31)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Cooper-Finals-2015Because five out of the ten contestants who played the concerto round in last week’s Thomas and Evon Cooper Violin Competition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music had chosen the Tchaikovsky concerto, the odds were that we might have heard two if not three Tchaikovskys on Friday evening in Severance Hall, when the finalists played with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra. Happily for the audience, it turned out that there were three different concertos on the program — Glazunov, Shostakovich and Brahms — and all three performances were superb. [Read more…]

Ting and Kastner split top prize in Oberlin Cooper Competition

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Cleveland, July 31 — Following the final round of the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition at Severance Hall tonight, competition donors Thomas and Evon Cooper announced the jury’s decision to split first prize between Belle Ting, 15, from Taipei, Taiwan, and Gallia Kastner, 18 of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Each will receive a cash prize of $10,000. Second place winner, Joshua Brown, 15 or Gurnee, Illinois, won $6,000. The third prize was not awarded this year.

Collaborating with The Cleveland Orchestra under Jahja Ling, Ting played Alexander Glazunov’s Concerto in a minor, and Kastner brought the evening to a conclusion with Johannes Brahms’s Concerto in D. Brown played Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1. (Photo: Roger Mastroianni).

Oberlin International Cooper Violin Competition: six competitors play in the recital round (July 29)

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by Daniel Hathaway & Mike Telin

Cooper-Six-072915The pressure was on in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music on Wednesday evening, July 29, when six young violinists played 30-minute recitals to determine who would advance to perform concertos with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday, July 31 at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall. The concert, hosted by Jacqueline Gerber, and emceed by Robert Conrad, was carried live over WCLV, 104.9 FM and wclv.com. [Read more…]

Three finalists named in Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition

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Cooper-2015-FinalistsOberlin, July 29 — Following the recital round of the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition in Warner Hall of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music late this evening, the jury announced the audience prize winner, the fourth, fifth and sixth place winners, and the three finalists who will play concertos with with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday evening at Severance Hall. The first-prize winner will be awarded $10,000, second-place $6,000 and third-place $3,000. [Read more…]

Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition: ten contestants play full concertos (July 28)

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by Mike Telin & Daniel Hathaway

Oberlin-Cooper-BannerAfter three days of semifinal rounds, the original field of 22 young violinists ages 13-18 representing seven countries was narrowed down to ten performers, each of whom played full concertos with piano accompaniment in afternoon and evening sessions on Tuesday, July 28 in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory. [Read more…]

Six advance to Recital Round in Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition

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Six-in-BlockOberlin, July 29 — Following the concerto round of the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition, the jury announced early this morning the six performers who would advance to the recital round on Wednesday evening. Each will play a 30-minute recital in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Admission is free. The performances will be streamed (click here for the video link) and carried live over WCLV, 104.9 FM. At the end of the evening, the jury will name the three violinists who will play concertos in the final round with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday evening at Severance Hall. [Read more…]

Ten advance in Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition

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Oberlin-Cooper-Winners-2013Oberlin, July 27 — Following the semifinal rounds of the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition, the jury announced late tonight that ten performers would advance to the concerto round on Tuesday, July 28. Each will play a full concerto with piano accompaniment in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Admission is free, and the performances will be streamed (click here for the video link). At the end of the evening, six violinists will be advanced to Wednesday’s recital round. (Photo: 2013 Winners with Jahja Ling at Severance Hall.) [Read more…]

Review: Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition — Six contestants play 30-minute recitals (July 24)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Oberlin-Cooper-Six-2013The last hurdle on the way to Severance Hall for competitors in the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition is the recital round, where six performers revisit their solo repertoire in 30-minute recitals chosen by the jury from the semi-final round. A large crowd turned out to hear the three-and-a-half hour program in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory on Wednesday evening, a highly-structured event carried live on WCLV, 104.9 FM and hosted by Robert Conrad.

A second hearing confirmed a lot that these ears noted in the concerto round the day before, but there were also some pleasant surprises.

Kyumin Park (16, Seoul, South Korea) maintained his rather cautious approach in pieces by Beethoven, Paganini and Chausson. His Beethoven (Op. 12, No. 1, Allegro) was strong and clean, his Paganini (Caprice No. 24) brilliant enough, his Chausson (Poème) perhaps more calculated than spontaneous despite expansive collaborative playing from Elizabeth DeMio. Here’s a talented player who just needs to be fearless and go for it. [Read more…]

Review: Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition — Ten contestants play concertos with piano (July 23)

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by Daniel Hathaway

OberlinCooperLogoUnless you’re an audiophile on a mission, you’re not likely to sit down and listen to ten complete performances of violin concertos in one day (much less three of Tchaikovsky’s, two each of Brahms’s and Sibelius’s and single performances each of Mendelssohn’s, Shostakovich’s first and Prokofiev’s second). Or unless you’re a judge or audience member at an international violin event like the Oberlin Cooper Competition.

On Tuesday afternoon and evening, July 23, that unlikely possibility became a reality as ten violinists, ages 15 to 18, played the concerto round of the Cooper Competition in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall, giving a fascinating look into the musical personalities and technical prowess of the competitors, who were vying for the opportunity to become one of three finalists to play these pieces with The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday evening in Severance Hall.

All ten players, having passed the entrance auditions and survived the semi-final rounds, have certified that they are fine musicians who have the technical wherewithal to play every note of their chosen concertos. [Read more…]

Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition: Three finalists announced

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OberlinCooperLogoOberlin, OH, July 24 — The jury announced this evening the sixth, fifth, and fourth place winners, the recipient of the audience prize for the recital final and the three contestants who will play the final round with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday, July 26 at 8:00 pm. The concert will be broadcast live over WCLV, 104.9 FM and WCLV.com

6th place – Angela Wee
5th place – Jieming Tang
4th place- Gallia Kastner
Audience Prize: Ching-Yi Wei

Finalists who will play at Severance Hall (order to be announced):
Kyumin Park: Tchaikovsky concerto
Ming Liu: Prokofiev second concerto
Ching-Yi Wei: Tchaikovsky concerto

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