COMPETITIONS

Samuel Abraham Vargas Teixeira

MIDORI PHOTO TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS. DUEÑAS PHOTO DAVID AUSSERHOFFER.

María Dueñas

Midori

1 Violinist Samuel Abraham Vargas Teixeira, 24, has won the $50,000 top prize at the Sphinx Competition in Detroit, MI, US. Born in Venezuela, he is studying with Sergiu Schwartz at Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music, OH, US. Second prize went to US double bassist Christian Gray, and third prize to Brazilian cellist Luiz Fernando Venturelli. In the junior division, 12-year-old violinist Amaryn Olmeda took home the $10,000 first prize, while violinist Jonathan Okseniuk came second and violist Dillon Scott came third. All three are from the US.

2 At the Getting to Carnegie Competition in New York, US, Spanish violinist María Dueñas, 18, was awarded the $5,000 first prize. Dueñas is studying with Boris Kuschnir at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna and the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. No further prizes were awarded; the remaining finalists were violinists Sory Park, 20, from South Korea, 23-yearold Angela Chan, from Hong Kong, and US 24-year-old Sophia Stoyanovich.

3 Japanese–American violinist Midori is among five artists whose achievements will be celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors in May. The event was originally scheduled to take place in December 2020, but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside actors Debbie Allen and Dick Van Dyke, and musicians Joan Baez and Garth Brooks, Midori will receive her award at a scaled-back ceremony in Washington DC.

4 String players honoured at the 2021 International Classical Music Awards included German violinist Maya Wichert (Discovery Award), German violinist Ingolf Turban (Special Achievement Award) and Belgian violinist Marc Bouchkov and Austrian–Iranian cellist Kian Soltani, who each took home an Orchestra Award.

FORTHCOMING COMPETITIONS & AWARDS

Hindemith International Viola Competition in Munich, Germany, for violists of all nationalities born after 21 October 1992. Total prize fund €11,000 Deadline 30 April; competition 14–20 October

Web www.hindemithcompetition.org

Geneva International Music Competition in Geneva, Switzerland, for cellists and oboists born after 29 October 1991.

First prize CHF20,000 (£17,800) Deadline 30 April; competition 16–29 October

Web www.concoursgeneve.ch

Sendai International Music Competition in Sendai, Japan for violinists and pianists born after 1 January 1992. First prize JPY3,000,000 (£20,800). Deadline 10 November; competition 21 May– 5 June 2022 Web www.simc.jp/en

APPOINTMENTS

• The Berlin Philharmonic has made Turkish violinist Hande Kueden a full member of its first violin section.

• British violinist Benjamin Baker has been named an ambassador for UK education charity Music Masters.

• The Manchester Camerata has appointed a new concertmaster, Caroline Pether, and associate concertmaster, Katie Stillman.

• Angelo Xiang Yu has joined the Shanghai Quartet as the group’s new second violinist, replacing Yi-Wen Jiang.

For current vacancies, see our online jobs page at www.thestrad.com/jobs