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from The Green Room Issue 6 Summer 2019: Early Music Focus

Meet the team: Susana Tierney

Samantha Clarke wins Guildhall Gold Medal

On Friday 10 May, Australian-British soprano Samantha Clarke won the prestigious Guildhall School of Music Gold Medal. The award was presented by Sir Bryn Terfel – himself a winner of the title – who was joined on the jury by Jonathan Vaughan, Richard Farnes, Kevin Murphy and Ann Murray DBE. Samantha performed a wonderfully varied programme of works by Strauss, Poulenc, Copland, Mozart, Puccini and Stravinsky.

This fantastic achievement marks the end of Samantha’s time at the Guildhall and leads into her appearance as Georgiana in the world premiere of Georgiana at the Buxton International Festival, her debut at Opera North as Musetta, and her debut with the Munchner Rundfunkorchester.

askonasholt.com/samantha-clarke

Asmik Grigorian: Female Singer of the Year 2019

Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has been awarded Female Singer of the Year at the 2019 International Opera Awards. The award follows worldwide acclaim for her portrayal of Salome at the Salzburg Festival (“a Salome to end all Salomes” Financial Times); a role for which she has also been nominated for Best Female Lead at the 2019 Österreichischen Musiktheaterpreis (Austrian Music Theatre Prize).

A founding member of Vilnius City Opera, Asmik has received several awards from her home country recognising her substantial contribution to Lithuanian culture and heritage. Most recently, she was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the medal “Merits to Lithuania” by the President of the Republic of Lithuania.

askonasholt.com/asmik-grigorian

Eric Lu announced as BBC New Generation Artist 2019

American pianist Eric Lu has been announced as one of the seven artists who will join the 2019 BBC New Generation Artists scheme on 1 September 2019 – the same day he will make his BBC Proms debut with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and conductor Long Yu (see right).

The announcement follows Eric's win at The Leeds International Piano Competition in September 2018.

Launched in 1999, the BBC NGA scheme supports young musicians on the threshold of an international career. Fellow AH instrumentalists and BBC NGA alumni include Alison Balsom, Veronika Eberle, Alina Ibragimova, Andrei Ioniţă and Cédric Tiberghien.

askonasholt.com/eric-lu

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra & Music Director Long Yu announce 140th Anniversary World Tour

In celebration of its 140th anniversary, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has announced a three-week world tour, under Music Director Long Yu. The tour runs from 14 August to 1 September 2019, during which the orchestra gives debut performances at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Wolf Trap and Ravinia Festival, in addition to returning to Lucerne Festival, Grafenegg Festival and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

In striving to promote and build cultural exchanges between East and West as part of its “Music Connecting Worlds” ethos, the SSO performs Wu Xing (The Five Elements) by leading Chinese composer Qigang Chen, throughout its tour. Chen's work will also feature on Long and the SSO's debut studio album on Deutsche Grammophon, entitled Gateways, which is due to be release on 28 June 2019.

Long and the SSO will be joined on tour by three world-class soloists: Alisa Weilerstein will perform Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor at Wolf Trap, Ravinia Festival and Edinburgh International Festival; Frank Peter Zimmermann presents Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major at the Lucerne Festival, Grafenegg Festival and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; and Eric Lu will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major in London.

The SSO has been touring internationally since the 1970s, when they performed in Australia and New Zealand, and in 2017 became the first Chinese ensemble to perform at the Lucerne Festival. Askonas Holt is privileged to be working with the SSO for the first time on this historic tour.

askonasholt.com/tours-and-projects/upcoming

View the tour schedule on p.30

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