Yesong Sophie Lee, an extremely gifted 10-year-old violinist from Seattle, is the youngest contestant to be chosen as a finalist in the world's most prestigious youth violin competition, the Menuhin International Violin Competition, kicking off this weekend.
For the first time in history, the Menuhin Competition is coming to the U.S., and will be held Feb. 21 through March 2 in Austin, Texas. Yesong Sophie will join 41 of the best young violinists from all over the globe to perform a challenging repertoire in front of an international jury panel of highly acclaimed musicians.
"I am thrilled to be going to the Menuhin Competition," says Yesong Sophie. "I am doing a project at school about Yehudi Menuhin, and this experience will surely teach me a lot more about him than any books will. I know this will be a great experience for me!"
Last held in Beijing, the Menuhin Competition set a new record this year by attracting 60 percent more entries from young competitors, ages 10 to 22.
Yesong Sophie, who grew up in Mill Creek, is a remarkable young girl who started playing the violin at age 4 and had her orchestral debut with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at age 8. Her teacher, Simon James, says, "She has the musical maturity and technical proficiency of an ageless artist."
Interested families can follow the event online via the live-webstream. As well, all performances will be reviewed on the Menuhin Competition YouTube Channel within a few hours of the live performance. To learn more about the competition, visit www.menuhincompetition.org.
"When I grow up, I want to be a famous violinist like Sarah Chang and Julia Fischer," says Yesong Sophie. "I like to perform on stage and love to meet other amazing violinists. I also love to wear beautiful dresses for different recitals and competitions. I feel proud and happy when I play music that makes the audience happy."
