Eight finalists have been chosen for the TD Canada Trust Young Performers Competition at the Elora Festival.
There were 65 applications received, one of the highest submissions in the history of the competition. The judges for the initial round were Artistic Director of the Elora Festival Noel Edison, author Rick Phillips, competition coordinator Esther Farrell, and General Manager of the Elora Festival Jurgen Petrenko. They listened to the submitted CDs without knowing who was performing.
“I was impressed by the level of talent exhibited by these young artists, and by their professionalism. Choosing only eight was very difficult this year,” said Petrenko.
The Elora Festival promotes outstanding Canadian classical music performers, offering winners financial support for continued studies in music, and the opportunity to perform at one of Canada’s top music festivals. The finalists vie for four prizes. First place is $3,000 and a future engagement with the Elora Festival. Second place is $2,000, third place is $1,000, and the Kathleen Deters audience favourite award is $500.
The eight finalists are Robin Best, harp; Yolanda Bruno, violin; Aidan Ferguson, mezzo-soprano; Jacqueline Leung, piano; Shauna McDonald, clarinet; Adam Rose, saxophone; Yulin Shen, piano; and Graham Thomson, tenor.
The Young Performers competition is made possible through the support of TD Canada Trust.
“TD Canada Trust would like to thank the Elora Festival for allowing us to take part in this great competition,” said Elora TD Canada Trust branch manager Janice Lamont. “TD Canada Trust has been part of the Elora community for 38 years and a proud sponsor of the festival for the past nine years. I am sure you will all agree that we have many great young artists who will continue to make us proud.”
The finalists will perform in concert on July 15 at 7:30pm at St. John’s Church in Elora, and the top four will be announced at the end of the concert. Tickets for that and other concerts are available by phone at 519-856-0331 or 1-888-747-7550, in person at 33 Henderson Street in Elora, or online at www.elorafestival.com. The 30th anniversary of the Elora Festival runs from July 10 to Aug. 2.
