Special mentoring for the participants of Seoul International Music Competition

It was a rare scene in the Recital Hall of the Seoul Arts Center in late March. Young violinists who participated in the 11th Seoul International Music Competition with LG had a session for “special mentoring” from the jury.

The results of the first and second round of the competition and the semifinals were released on March 21, 24 and 26. The performers who could not make it to the next round had a chance to have assessment and advice from 11 jurors who are famous as a performer and professor, such as Igor Ozim from Russia and Joel Smirnoff from the U.S.

Although they failed to achieve their goal in the competition where they had high hopes and expectations, they did not look sad in the evening. They appeared to be rather excited in that they could have meaningful advice from world-class teachers. The jurors gave them general advice by saying, “I hope you could learn `singing” expressions." They also showed an example of bowing the violin by singing the melody with their voice and said, “When the theme first came, your bowing direction was good. It could have been better in the second. For example…”

Participants said that the mentoring session, which was introduced for the first time this year, was very meaningful. A participant with a U.S. citizenship said, “Although the juror had a different opinion from my teacher and I’m not sure who is right, it was very helpful because I could learn what jurors in the competition focus on and what perspectives they have. I was also surprised at other competitors’ performance and felt that the competition is very advanced and has authority.” The mentoring session turned the competition into a venue for special learning.

gustav@donga.com