Russell Iceberg, Violin (Winner)
Where do you call home?
I was born in Aspen, Colorado, but I grew up primarily in New Market, Maryland. Many places are home for me though, including Montr茅al!
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do? It would be a tremendous honour to be named the winner of the Golden Violin Award. For me this would be a wonderful springboard and means of support that would enable me to pursue further competitions and projects, and would help fast track my goals as a performing artist.
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Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
I study with Professor Andrew Wan, and I will be performing with Felix Hong.
Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I love each piece on my program, in fact I would say that any of the four pieces could be a favourite part of a recital, but the Chopin Ballade is extra special. Chopin sadly did not write any pieces for the violin, so we are forced to steal piano pieces, with sometimes mixed success. I learned of Ysa每e鈥檚 adaptation of the famous G Minor Chopin Ballade because one of my teacher鈥檚 former students, Jacob Niederhoffer, did a beautiful job creating a proper published edition of this adaptation. I think it is a beautiful and effective adaptation, and for me it is so much fun to get to play one of Chopin鈥檚 most loved and emotional works on the violin. As well, it has been a fun piece to work on with Felix, as he knows this work inside and out.
What鈥檚 a recent musical discovery you鈥檝e made?
I alternate between listening to music I know and love and looking for something new. I always go back to my favourites, which for classical music are Late Romantic French composers like Chausson and Faur茅, as well as earlier Romantics such as Brahms and Schubert. For non-Classical listening, I love Progressive Rock like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Pink Floyd. Lately I have been listening to much more Jazz though, specifically Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson. I somehow went a very long time without having really discovered these artists, and I wish I would have known their work sooner!
This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
It has been a challenging year. It is hard not to see my own goals in music making as somewhat trivial in light of what the world has been experiencing over the past year. This has caused me to try to evaluate how what I care about and what I am doing to fit into the picture of the world I hope to be a meaningful part of. I honestly don鈥檛 know how this should look for me, but the reflection has inspired me to think more critically about why I care so much about music, and how the career of a performing musician can have a positive impact. I never felt discouraged though, as music has always been crucial for my own mental and emotional wellbeing. I took the lack of concerts as an opportunity to examine as closely as possible the specific features of my playing that I wanted to improve. This has been very helpful to me, at the very least!
When you鈥檙e not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
When I鈥檓 not practicing and preparing, my favourite thing to do is honestly to talk with friends and family members, these days mostly on the phone or on video chat. No matter what it is about, I love having interesting conversations. Beyond that, I honestly find rest (both mental and physical) to be critical to allow myself the time to process the work I do when I practice.
Biography
Russell Iceberg is a violinist based in Montr茅al, Qu茅bec. A graduate of 苹果淫院鈥檚 Schulich School of Music as a student of Andrew Wan, Russell is continuing his studies with Professor Wan in 苹果淫院鈥檚 Graduate Artist Diploma program. Russell completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree at Northwestern University鈥檚 Bienen School of Music, where he studied with Blair Milton of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Other significant teachers include Phyllis Freeman, Naoko Tanaka, and Scott Yoo. As a soloist, Russell has performed with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, the Northwestern University Alumni Symphony, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra. Russell was a finalist in the 苹果淫院 Classical Concerto Competition, the 苹果淫院 Romantic Concerto Competition, the 苹果淫院 Golden Violin Competition, and two-time grand prizewinner of the 苹果淫院 Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Iceberg String Quartet and of the Pers茅e String Quartet. In 2021, Russell was selected as a finalist of the Shean Strings Competition in Edmonton, Alberta. The final round will take place in May 2021. In addition to string quartet, Russell鈥檚 chamber music activities have led him to collaborate with esteemed artists including Andrew Wan, Scott Yoo, Stephen Rose, Steven Copes, Stefan Hersh, Eric Nowlin, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Yegor Dyachkov, Jennifer Frautschi, Neal Gripp, Michel-Alexandre Broekaert, Philip Chiu and Felix Hong.
Alicia Choi, Violin (Finalist)![photo of Alicia Choi](/music/files/music/acho_220x330i_0.png)
Where do you call home?
惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
Winning this award would be a great honour. The first thing I would do is get a new bow!
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Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
My teacher and collaborative pianists are Denise Lupien, Brigitte Poulin, and Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse.
Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I don鈥檛, because every part is my favourite! However, I will note that the second movement of the Strauss sonata is full of beautiful inspiration from other works: Adagio from Beethoven鈥檚 Path茅tique in the outer sections, as well as Schubert鈥檚 Erlk缨nig in the tempestuous middle.
What鈥檚 a recent musical discovery you鈥檝e made? 鈥檝e struggled with playing while wearing masks, so I鈥檒l share a recent somewhat-musical discovery in the hopes it鈥檒l help another musician! I鈥檝e discovered that I can play violin wearing a procedural mask if I cross the ear loops once before hooking them around my ears. It hurts my ears after a couple hours, but the mask doesn鈥檛 ride up and get in my eyes while I play.
This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
One of my top-ten favourite works is the slow movement of Rachmaninov鈥檚 second piano concerto. Apart from it being heart-wrenchingly poignant, it鈥檚 essentially chamber music between the soloist and various orchestral voices. This piece was written after an especially difficult time for Rachmaninov: he suffered from depression and an inability to compose for several years after the premiere of his first symphony was heavily criticized (for many reasons, many out of his control). But with the help of therapy and support from his friends and family, he was able to compose this piece. It is dedicated to the doctor that helped him recover, Nikolai Dahl. Dr. Dahl later emigrated to Lebanon, where he played viola in an orchestra. At one point, that orchestra was performing this piece, and once the audience found out that the very dedicatee was in the orchestra, they made him stand from his seat in the viola section and take a bow. Music like this always reminds me that connections are always there, whether it鈥檚 in relationships between people, the music itself between different voices, or meaning hidden in the subtext.
When you鈥檙e not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Pratiquer mon fran莽ais, alors parlez avec moi s鈥檌l vous pla卯t!
Biography
Based in Montreal, Quebec, violinist Alicia Choi is a passionate musician dedicated to the performance and teaching of violin and chamber music repertoire.
Recent performances include concerts in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Faculty Recitals, New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, Salle Bourgie Mus茅e des Beaux-arts de Montr茅al and the Thy Chamber Music Festival. As a soloist, she has performed with the Atlantic Music Festival, Berkshire Symphony, and Queens Symphony Orchestras.
From 2013 to 2017, Alicia was an Artist-in-Residence Faculty of the University of Evansville, Associate Concertmaster of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, and a member of the Larchmere String Quartet, which recorded the Stephan Krehl String Quartet and Clarinet Quintet on the Naxos label. Additional performing-teaching positions include artistic director and faculty of the Harlaxton International Chamber Music Festival; and faculty at the University of Florida ChamberFest, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Chamber Music Workshop, and Camp Musical P猫re Lindsay.
Alicia has won awards from the Fresno Musical Club, National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Virtu Foundation. A graduate of Williams College and The Juilliard School, Alicia is pursuing her Doctor of Music in violin performance at the Schulich School of Music.
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Astrid Nakamura, Violin (Finalist)![Photo of Astrid Nakamura holding a violin](/music/files/music/astrid_nakamura_2021.png)
Where do you call home?
Toronto, Ontario.
What would being named the winner of the Golden Violin Award enable you to do?
As a young musician, The Golden Violin Award would help me further my musical education and artistry. After being a part of the 苹果淫院 community for three years, I have been continually inspired by all my friends and colleagues. It would be an honour to represent 苹果淫院 and Canada in this way.
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Who are you studying with and who will be your collaborative pianist?
I study with Axel Strauss and I will be playing with Brigitte Poulin. Both have been inspiring to work with and very supportive!
Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I really like my whole program, but my favourite piece is Fratres by Arvo Part. I think there is a general duality within the program I have prepared, and Fratres sums up this dichotomy well in terms of structure and technique. What鈥檚 a recent musical discovery you鈥檝e made? I found out about the 鈥渟eagull effect鈥 the other day - it sounds much nicer than an actual seagull.
This has undoubtedly been a challenging year. How has music helped you find connection?
Surprisingly, I think I have been connecting with musicians from all over more than I would in a normal context. As music students we tend to stay in our own bubbles, but I鈥檝e found it valuable to be able to share my playing and talk about music online. On a more serious level, I think that our generation of musicians have taken tremendous initiatives toward combatting the discriminatory attitudes and practices inherent in classical art forms. I have been fortunate to listen to and connect with many musicians about this topic. I think that it is important to move away from the white patriarchal tradition and create a new, inclusive narrative within the classical music genre.
When you鈥檙e not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Socially distanced picnics in the park have been a nice way to relax lately. I also like to try to get into different art forms; going to an art exhibition, painting, and writing songs are all good ways to chill out.
Biography
Astrid Nakamura, 20, was born in Toronto and began her violin studies at the age of four. Most recently, she was named winner of the 2021 苹果淫院 Concerto Competition.
Having a strong interest in orchestral music, Astrid has served as concertmaster for both the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, winning the Award of Excellence for the latter in 2018. She was also a part of the Frenergy tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the European Union Youth Orchestra in November 2019.
An avid chamber musician, Astrid was a part of the Lafontaine Quartet from 2018 to 2020. The quartet won the 苹果淫院 Chamber Music Competition in 2018 and advanced to the semifinals in the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The quartet benefited from summers at both Encore Chamber Music String Quartet Intensive and the Montr茅al International String Quartet Academy in 2019.
Astrid also took part in the 2020 Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival at 苹果淫院, where she was fortunate to perform with musicians from the Mozarteum University, Sibelius Academy, and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. She was also a recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Scholarship.
Outside of academics, Astrid enjoys performing in outreach concerts within the 苹果淫院 community, and visiting Montreal's many art galleries. She currently studies with Axel Strauss at the Schulich School of Music.