The Well-Tempered Ear

American violinist Joshua Brown wins a global competition in China

PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.

By Jacob Stockinger

Earlier this week — just before the start of the tense American-Chinese summit meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping — the young American violinist Joshua Brown (below)  won a global music competition in Beijing, China.

It is not exactly a Van Cliburn moment in terms of his victory at the first Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 at the height of the Cold War. For that surprise win, the young Cliburn received instant stardom and received a ticket tape parade in New York City.

Plus, Cliburn’s first recording for RCA of the Tchaikovsky First and Rachmaninoff Third piano concertos became the first classical recording to sell a million copies. 

Still, the win by the 24-year-old Brown — who has won many other national and  international competitions — should bring the American musician wider recognition at home and abroad through many more bookings and recordings as well as the first prize of $100,000 and three years of tours under management through an agent that come with the gold medal. 

You can hear him play an unfamiliar piece by the opera composer Richard Wagner in the YouTube video at the bottom.

By the way, second prize was also won by America violinist Ellie Choi while third place went to Chinese violinist Chaowen Luo. Both are 22.

Here is the story in The Strad:

https://www.thestrad.com/news/violinist-joshua-brown-wins-100000-first-prize-at-beijings-global-music-education-league-competition/17263.article

And here, with some other details, is the story on The Violin Channel, which also allows you to hear the competition.

And if you would like to know more about him, especially his full biography, here is a link to his own website:

https://www.joshuabrownviolinist.com/

Have you heard him or of him?

What do you think?

Do you think we should or will get to hear him perform live in Madison?

The Ear wants to hear.