It has been a busy summer! I started the season by participating in the Stepping Stone competition in Montreal, Quebec. From June 27-July 5th, 24 musicians from across the country traveled to Montreal to compete for a top prize of 10,000 dollars. There were three rounds: the first elimination, the semi-final, and the final. For the first round I played Chopin’s Sonata in B minor and Debussy’s Images. For the semi-final I played Bach’s Italian concerto, Szymanowski’s Etudes, op.4, Beethoven’s Sonata in A flat, op. 110, and Liszt’s Rigoletto Paraphrase. In this round, I also performed the imposed work, Scott Good’s beautiful and atmospheric Etude for piano. For the final, I played Grieg’s Concerto in A minor. I was very pleased to make it, along with 5 other competitors, all the way to the last round, considering that this was the first competition of this scale in which I have competed.
Once I came back to Toronto, I set to work learning new repertoire and working on my thesis. I am researching the life of the extraordinary pianist, Ricardo Viñes, and the role he played in shaping the musical life of Paris during the early 1900’s. I am particularly interested in his connections with Debussy and Ravel; according to Francis Poulenc, Viñes was the only piano virtuoso during this time who regularly programmed their works. I am almost finished translating the only biographical monograph written about this colourful Catalan, Ricardo Viñes: Un pèlerin de l’Absolu (or Ricardo Viñes: Pilgrim of the Absolute), by Mildred Clary.
Finally, I am excited to have my own website! I will be posting periodic updates on this page, but if you would like to receive them directly to your inbox, please sign up for my newsletter. That way, you can be the first to know about my upcoming recitals, research developments and any other news.
