ROSL Recitals is returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month and this year we feature not one, not two, but three Annual Music Competition (AMC) Gold Medal winners. It is your chance to see some of the finest classical musicians the Commonwealth has produced. With 30 concerts spread over two weeks, the Royal Scots Club will be filled with mellifluous music from Monday 6 to Friday 7 August.
First our gold medallists to take to the stage will be Australian violinist Emily Sun, winner of the AMC in 2016, the first violinist to take the Gold Medal since 1981. As well as her success with ROSL, Emily has also won all major Australian violin competitions, including the coveted Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year Strings Award. She has won all available prizes at the Royal College of Music including the Violin Competition 2012 and Concerto Competition 2015. Emily is a prizewinner in many international competitions including Yampolsky International Violin Competition (Russia), Bromsgrove International Competition (UK), Brahms International Competition (Austria), and Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy). She was selected as a Young Concert Artist for The Tillett Trust and Making Music UK. She is also a Fringe veteran, having performed with ROSL on two previous occasions.
Next up is our newest Gold Medallist, Briton Jonathan Radford, who was crowned the 2018 winner of the AMC in June for his spectacular saxophone playing. As well as his performances in Edinburgh, Jonathan has given recitals at major venues in Europe including Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Grieg Hall in Bergen, the Centre Pompidou, and Philharmonie in Paris. He has appeared as soloist with several orchestras including the Slovenian Chamber Orchestra and Liverpool Mozart Orchestra. A keen advocate of contemporary music he has premiered works by Luis Naón (co-commissioned by Radio France), Betsy Jolas (commissioned by the CNSM) and collaborated with IRCAM in Paris. The next edition of the Overseas journal will feature an interview with Jonathan, looking at how he came to love the saxophone and what he plans to do with his £20,000 prize money from this year's AMC. Look out for the new issue in September.
Last, but by no means least, is British pianist Martin Cousin, who won the Gold Medal in 2003. Since performing his debut as a soloist in 1998 in the Purcell Room, Martin has gone on to perform solo recitals at Wigmore Hall in 2001, 2005, and 2011, as well as concerto soloists with the London Philharmonic, Halle, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, and BBC Concert Orchestras. He has released several CDs and his hands were even featured on the big screen in the Oscar-winning film 'Shine', for the scenes involving Rachmaninov's 3rd Concerto.
All three will be joined by a host of other ROSL ARTS alumni, both AMC prizewinners and scholars, from all over the Commonwealth. Book now for your chance to see all these wonderful performers next month. View the concert schedule here.
