Prizewinners of the Molinari Quartet's First International Composition Competition
On Friday, May 31, 2002, at 8 pm, at McGill University's Redpath Hall, the Molinari Quartet announced the names of the prizewinners of its First International Composition Contest for String Quartet. The winners were selected from 222 entries submitted from applicants aged less than 40. The jury, comprising members of the Molinari Quartet and composers Denis Gougeon, R. Murray Schafer and Gilles Tremblay, convened in May to evaluate the 222 original scores received from 39 different countries.
First Prize / $3000 grant with a serigraphy by Canadian artist Guido Molinari
Vsevolod Chmoulevitch (Russia, 1970), for his work "Romantic" String Quartet
Vsevolod Chmoulevitch studied composition and conducting at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He has won five international competitions, including the Concours H. Dutilleux in 1999. Several orchestras and ensembles have commissioned works of his which are performed in a number of national and international festivals.
Second Prize / $2000 grant
Morritz Eggert (Germany, 1965), for his work Kleine Fluchten (Little Hideaways)
Morritz Eggert studied piano and composition and has been awarded several prizes, notably The Salzburger Osterfestspiele Schneider/Scott and Ad Referendum from the SMCQ. In 1991, he established the Devantgarde Festival for New Music with Sandeep Bhagwati. His catalogue comprises six operas, works for solo piano and music for the stage, including ballets, theatre and dance. In 1997, the German television made a documentary film on his work as a composer.
Third Prize / $1000 grant
Wolf Edwards (Canada, 1972), for his work Island
Wolf Edwards earned a bachelor's degree with distinction in composition at Victoria University (B.C.) and received several awards, such as the First Prize at the Strings of the Future International Festival and the Murray Adaskin Prize in composition. He has taken part in the contemporary music festival Musica Nova in Bulgaria, where he will travel in the summer of 2002 for the world premières of his String Quartets No.2 and No.3.
Honourable Mention
Alberto Colla (Italy, 1968), for his work In memoria di Sergej Prokofiev
Alberto Colla has earned diplomas in composition, piano and choral conducting. Nine international prizes have been awarded to him, such as the Concorso Internationale G. Verdi per la Composizione di un opera lirica (Parma, 2001), The Dimitris Mitropoulos International Competition for Composing (Athens, 1999) and The Third International Memorial Competition for composers (Oslo, 1998). His works are performed by prestigious ensembles in several national and international festivals, as well as on the radio and television. Luciano Berio has commissioned a new work - for choir and symphony orchestra - from Mr. Colla, for the inauguration of a new hall in Rome in 2002.
The four prizewinners have been invited to rehearse with the Molinari Quartet prior to the Concert des lauréats which was held on November 15, 2002, and participate in the series Dialogues à la Chapelle, consisting in public workshops for discussion and performance initiated by the Molinari Quartet.
In addition, the four winning works have been recorded on a compact disc for the ATMA Classique label.