An Insider's Guide
Hosted by Dr Justine Cormack



Introduction

When the level of playing is so high, how on earth do the judges differentiate between so many violinists – let alone rank them?

The competition entrusts the job of ‘king-maker’ to not just one, or even a handful, but seven judges – every single one of them a world-renowned violinist in their own right, and collectively representing the major traditions of training from every corner of the globe and centuries of violinist development.

They are they artists who can hear the near-imperceptible nuance. But what EXACTLY are they listening for?

Who better to explain than NZTrio violinist, Dr Justine Cormack. Justine’s impressive career has seen her as a violin soloist, teacher, chamber musician, and judge for four out five of our past Competitions. She not only knows exactly what the judges are listening for from her own experience, but intimately understands the relationship a violinist has with a pianist, a piano trio, an orchestra and an audience.

  INSIDER'S GUIDE   is not to be confused with a pre-concert talk that is typically an introduction to the work of music. Instead, it is a multi-faceted violinist’s take on the inner workings of the Competition. Justine will provide valuable insight into exactly what the judges are looking for throughout the many stages of the Competition. Candid presentations such as the competitors’ behind-the-scenes preparation, specific violinist techniques and performance execution the audience witnesses, and clues into the challenges of the varied repertoire required, will help to paint a fuller picture of the myriad of elements that the judges are considering.

Designed to be fully-integrated into the Competition’s public programme, Justine will prepare audience members who chose to attend An Insiders Guide prior to each round – assisted where appropriate with demonstrations from the competition’s most recent winner Josef Špaček. As a result, the audience will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the complex factors involved throughout the competition, both on and off stage.

More salient is that Justine will invite and respond to questions directly from the audience at regular junctures of the Competition’s schedule…the sorts of questions that audience members are always dying to ask but the judges are not allowed to discuss – even amongst themselves. If you are not able to be in the concert hall and would like to ask Justine a question, just TXT it to 5787, and she will try to address and answer it during the Q&A sessions.

Similar to wine tasting with the actual vintner,   INSIDER'S GUIDE    will help to provide the audience with tools and background knowledge to judge for themselves.

These sessions will be provided free of charge to any ticket holder attending the live rounds of the Competition 3-11 June 2011. They will be individually recorded and podcasts including video will be uploaded to the AucklandYou channel on YouTube and Instant Encore making them free for viewing.

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The Host
  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | Dr Justine Cormack

Violinist of NZTrio, Justine appears regularly both around NZ and internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, adjudicator and concerto soloist. She is the former Concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia and played for many years as a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and New Zealand Chamber Orchestra.

A graduate of the University of Canterbury, studying with Jan Tawroszevicz, Justine went on to complete a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory with Isadore Tinkleman and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook under Joyce Robbins and Mitchell Stern. She has taught violin at Wellington’s University of Victoria and from 2004-2010 she was a lecturer in performance violin at The University of Auckland, during which time NZTrio was also Ensemble in Residence for five years.

Over the years, Justine has been singled out for many awards, including a TVNZ Young Achievers Award, two QEII Arts Council Grants, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an NZSO Alex Lindsay Memorial Award and was runner up in the 1990 TVNZ Young Musicians’ competition.

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | Michael Hill International Violin Competition
Friday 3 June 2011, Queenstown Memorial Hall, 7.00pm–8.00pm
The opening session of An Insiders Guide will present an overview of the competition, from its primary aims through to its achievements to date in this 10th anniversary competition as an internationally recognised competition. Michael Hill himself will present a personal account of his aspirations for the competition. Most importantly, the judging process will be at the heart of this presentation. 140 competitors from around the globe applied for the 2011 competition, so how were the 18 semifinalists chosen? What now lies ahead of the competitors in the various rounds through to the finals over the next 8 days – both on stage and off? What will the competitors need to do to become this year’s competition winner, in order to join the list of highly gifted and versatile violinists that have won in previous years? What exactly are the judges looking for?

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | First impressions
Sat 4 June 2011, Queenstown Memorial Hall, 9.00am–9.30am
Semi-final Round I –Bach & Mozart (30 mins each)
What will the judges be listening for in this round of Solo Bach and Mozart Concertos? Why are these composers featured in the first round and what are the particular challenges that the competitors face with this repertoire? What should you be listening and looking for in this round and what will you know about the competitors by the end of the day?

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | Solo Virtuosity
Sun 5 June 2011, Queenstown Memorial Hall, 9:00am–9:30am
Semi-final Round II – Paganini, Psathas, Sonata and Showpiece (40 mins)
Overall, this second round provides each competitor with the opportunity to show their full range of virtuosity and musicianship to the judges. In this Insiders Guide session, the focus will be on the solo repertoire of Round II – the John Psathas’s Gyftiko and the Paganini Caprices. John Psathas is the composer of the 2011 competition’s commissioned work, and he will personally present an introduction to his work and give insight into the inspiration behind it. What the competitors will each make of the piece will be highly revealing in terms of their individual interpretive skills. The Paganini Caprices are true tests of violin virtuosity. Hear about the myriad of challenges posed to the competitors in these caprices and what to listen out for.

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | Completing the picture of musicianship and virtuosity
Mon 6 June 2011, Queenstown Memorial Hall, 9:00am–9:30am
Semi-final Round II (cont.) – Paganini, Psathas, Sonata and Showpiece (40 mins)
By the end of Round II, the competitors will have had the chance to show their versatility and range of skill as violinists and musicians. What is it that the showpieces will add to the judges’ overall impressions? And finally, what will the judges be seeking from the competitors within their performances of the sonata ‘duo’ repertoire where exquisite teamwork is so imperative?

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | The role of the violinist in a Piano Trio
Wed 8 June 2011, Auckland Concert Chamber, 6:00pm–7:00pm
Semi-final Round III – Beethoven, Ravel, Dvořák and Schumann
This session will begin with a half-hour overview of the Insiders Guide to the competition in order to bring the Auckland audience up to date with what has transpired for the competitors so far, and the process of judging that is unfolding. The specific challenges that the six remaining competitors now face within this chamber music round will be delved into, concluding with a short Q&A session.

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  INSIDER'S GUIDE   | Violinist as a Soloist with Orchestra
Sat 11 June 2011, Auckland Town Hall, 6:30pm–7:00pm
Finals
This final session of An Insiders Guide will present ‘the violinist as concerto soloist’, outlining how the three finalists have been working with the conductor and orchestra, and what the judges will now be looking for in these concerto performances in order for them to select the winner for 2011.

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