News

You’ve probably heard of high-pressure music competitions like the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow or the Naumberg in New York. NCMF has hosted many laureates of these events over the years. But this week, you have the chance to watch someone you know participating live and to cheer her on.  

Alessandra, who will be playing viola on the upcoming Winter Baroque concert (Sunday, December 21^st at 3:00 at Immaculate Conception), has made it past several rounds to the semi-finals of the prestigious Geneva International Viola Competition. The next round consists of two parts: a solo recital and then a chamber music reading with distinguished professionals. It isn’t every day you can watch a friend or family member in the last rounds of a major international competition.

Below are the times and links where, if interested, you can watch this week. They go live 15' before she starts.

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Alessandra has had quite the year, travelling to festivals in England, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, and Switzerland and winning the school-wide concerto competition. It is a complicated time to be a music student. There isn’t a single path to a career in classical music. For a string player, a career might involve cobbling together some combination of orchestra, chamber music, teaching, studio (commercial) work, admin, random gigs, along with some type of non-music work to pay the rent. Self-promotion, social-media savvy, an entrepreneurial spirit – all are useful but add on a lot more pressure than 35 years ago when I was starting my career.

One particularly grueling path is the competition circuit. For better or worse, these events have come to be an important path - if not essential - to jump-start one’s career. A high placement in a prestigious competition can open doors leading directly to concerts, visibility, and management.Whatever happens, she is having fun - which, as her dad, I’ve strived to make clear is really all that matters.  

‍David Yang, Artistic Director

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