Inaugural winner crowned

Inaugural winner crowned

By Communications Staff

May 1, 2017

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[Violin Winners]
The inaugural Isabel Overton Bader Canadian Violin Competition was won by Yolanda Bruno, left, while Katya Poplyansky and Lucy Wang placed second and third respectively. 

Ottawa’s Yolanda Bruno is the inaugural winner of the Isabel Overton Bader Canadian Violin Competition.

Ms. Bruno was awarded the $20,000 first prize and the audience choice prize, worth another $1,000, on Saturday at the competition organized by the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts at Queen’s University. 

Katya Poplyansky of Toronto was awarded the Second Prize, and Lucy Wang of Vancouver was awarded the Third Prize. 

This national competition was open to Canadian violinists from the age of 18 to 29. 

By winning the competition Ms. Bruno also earned a future engagement to perform with the Kingston Symphony, and a future engagement to perform a recital at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts that will be recorded by CBC Radio 2 for national broadcast.

Ms. Poplyansky and Ms. Wang received prizes of $4,000 and $2,000 respectively.

“Yolanda is a brilliantly talented young violinist, with a vast range of expression and maturity far beyond her years. Her performance was magnificent,” says Tricia Baldwin, Director, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. “All the finalists demonstrated mastery of their instrument and intense musicality. It was a very emotional evening, as it is clear that the future of classical music in Canada and beyond is bright with this outstanding level of talent and musical commitment. We are all so inspired by the performances of these gifted musicians,”

The Isabel Overton Bader Canadian Violin Competition was made possible through the generosity of Alfred and Isabel Bader, whose vision, imagination and generosity will enable gifted emerging musicians to learn, inspire, perform, and develop their careers.

Further information about the Isabel Overton Bader Canadian Violin Competition, is available online.

The award-winning Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts brings together exceptional arts spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place to create a dynamic venue for Queen’s students and the community. In addition to the Performance Hall, the other spaces in the 90,000 square foot venue include a studio theatre, a film screening room and a music rehearsal hall. Embracing the principles of interactivity and integration, the School of Drama and Music and the Department of Film and Media share teaching and performance spaces within the Isabel. The Isabel was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. Anchored by a transformational gift to the Initiative Campaign from Drs. Alfred and Isabel Bader, the Isabel was inspired by the Bader’s love – of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other – and is named in Isabel’s honour. To learn more about the Isabel and to see a full schedule, visit theisabel.ca.