International music fest, national violin competition in Goa

Panaji, Feb 19 (UNI) In a bid to further prevent the declining number of artists in this global tourist destination, the Guitar Guild of Goa (GGG) is organising the three-day International Music Fest-2008 from March 4, featuring performance by a joint symphony orchestra.

This will be preceeded by the second David Menezes National Violin Competition on February 26. Both the events are being organised by the GGG in collaboration with the Kala Academy here and Hochschule Fur Musik Nuremberg, Germany.

Disclosing this to mediapersons here today, the organisers said that a panel of four international judges with Prof Ulf Klausenitzer (violin), Hartmut Krause (violin), Marthias Hofer (clarinet) and Manami Sano (piano) has been constituted to declare the winners of the National Violin Competitions.

Besides citations, first prize has been set at Rs 50,000, the second at be Rs 35,000 and the third at Rs 15,000. The GGG has received 15 entries from Goa, Kerala, Mumbai and Kolkata for the triennial competition held in the memory of ardent music lover and philanthropist late David Menezes.

''We provide a platform for the declining number of talented artists who could play on different instruments. Besides, they will get on-hand training at the behest of the experts from abroad during the music festival,'' they said.

The judges have offered to conduct intensive rehearsals and special workshops for clarinet, oboe, horn and piano for the benefit of young talent in Goa, which is to be held from February 27 to March 3 at Kala Academy, the festival venue.

The workshop will culminate in a public joint performance with the judges and artists from Kala Academy, Goa State String Orchestras and other musicians joining the show.

The combined orchestra will be conducted by the Chairman of the jury Prof Klausenitzer. Mr Krause will be the concert master, while Mr Hofer and one of the trainees Hoko Schmidt will lead the woodwinds.

Goa's Sanya Myla Cotta, presently studying in Germany, will play the violin solo for the Mendelssohn's violin concert.

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