Thoughts and Reflections: Roxanne McGettigan

 Roxanne and Tom McGettigan at the IVCI Opening Ceremonies

Four years ago, after living in Indianapolis for just a year, I read the near daily reviews of the violinists participating in the 7^th Quadrennial Violin Competition, not fully aware of the history of this renowned competition.    I had played the violin in junior high and high school, so was interested in this competition, not realizing the impact it would have on me four years later.  

When I was asked in November of 2009 if I would be interested in helping with the Opening Ceremonies for the 8^th Quadrennial Violin Competition, I don’t think it took me more than a few seconds to say yes.   It was during one of our first meetings that “host families” was mentioned, and again, it only took a few seconds for my husband and I to agree to this one of a kind opportunity.   As the months went by and we got closer to our participant’s arrival and to the Opening Ceremonies, I grew more and more excited.    So much so, I asked my parents to send my violin that they had been storing for over 25 years – so that after the competition I could begin re-learning how to play. 

As a member of the Opening Ceremonies Committee, I know first-hand the details that went into the planning of this very elegant event, but it also gave me a chance to have a back door view into the comprehensive planning of the competition as a whole.   By hosting a participant, Tom and I saw first-hand how hard the participants work at attempting to become the Gold winner, but it also gave us a back door view into the life of a young violinist who has spent the majority of her life devoted to her violin.    

Tom and I enjoyed all 16 days of the competition, but we miss the violin music that we heard throughout our home for hours, the discussions we had between our culture and Hyun Su Shin’s in South Korea, and the laughs we’d have after attempts to understand what we were trying to tell each other.  Through this experience, I have found an organization that I am excited to continue volunteering my time with, and we have made a life-long friend.

Roxanne McGettigan 

Indianapolis, IN

Thoughts and Reflections: Don Gilden

I am an amateur violinist who takes his music seriously.  I play every day and take lessons every week.  I have a sizable collection of CDs of the classical violin repertoire, many pieces by multiple artists.  I have always wanted to attend a violin competition, but never got to until the IVCI in September, 2010.  I was there for the final 4 nights and was not disappointed.  The abundance of talent in these fine young people from all over the world is considerable.  They played the great violin concertos by Mozart, Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Beethoven and Bartok.  Listening to 3 concertos in one evening was stimulating, and I had trouble sleeping every night while "replaying" the pieces in my mind.  I am not given to hero worship, but these young people (all 6 finalists were in their 20s) are nothing short of sensational: talented, diligent, warm and bright.  The competition was intense, not for the faint of heart.  This was the equivalent of the Super Bowl and World Series of violin performance.  As good as the violinists are, they continued to practice all day and evening right up to the last day.  After one of the contestants played a Mozart violin concerto, I saw him in a practice room of the auditorium only minutes later playing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto that he was scheduled to play 48 hours later.  Although only one person won, none of them, in my mind, is a "loser."  I expect most of them will have wonderful careers as a violin artist, whether it be solo performing on the stages of the great cities around the world or in chamber music and recording for all to hear. 

 

"Enjoyable" does not adequately describe the experience of attending the competition.  The music, the atmosphere and the rivalry filled my senses.  Quite simply, it was an experience.  I loved being there and felt attached to the violinists, the brilliant conductor and talented orchestra who supported these marvelous young people and was eminently aware of the finely tuned administrators and organizers who helped make the IVCI the huge success it was.  I hope to return in 4 years.  

 

Don Gilden

Denver, Colorado 

Thoughts and Reflections: Introduction

2010 Gold Medalist Clara-Jumi Kang with her host family, Tibor Klopfer and Shawna Frazer-Klopfer. 

 

Here at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, we are constantly amazed and humbled by the number of dedicated volunteers and followers of the Competition.  Our fan base extends around the world--to highlight our incredibly diverse and international network of fans and supporters, we are going to launch into a project that highlights stories and reflections from various people who experienced the Competition in different ways: online, in-person, as a volunteer or a host family.  Check back regularly to read these remarkable reflections!

Competition 2010 Redux

It is the week following the Competition and IVCI staff are slowly but surely catching up on sleep, emails, voicemails, the list goes on and on!  Though our office looks as if the Tasmanian Devil took up residence over the past month, everything is relatively quiet. 

I thought it would be interesting to process some of the incredible moments and events that occurred in the past few weeks, and also thank some of the people that were (and are) integral to the success of the IVCI. 

First off, the Competition would not have been a success without the incredible support of our volunteers!  During the Preliminaries and Semi-Finals, we had over 150 volunteers on site at various times helping with ushering, ticketing, the boutique, hospitality, set-up, take-down etc.  There were volunteers to lend a hand for virtually any task you can imagine.  The past 3 weeks were a real testament to Hoosier hospitality and the incredible spirit of volunteerism within our city. 

Speaking of hospitality, we also need to thank our incredible network of Participant and Jury host families.  These are people who graciously opened up their homes to our international array of Participants and Jurors and truly made their experience in Indianapolis special.  We have had numerous comments from our Participants and Jurors about how welcomed and warmly received they felt.  I think it is safe to say that many of our Participants leave knowing they will always have a home here in Indianapolis.

One question we always receive is this: "What do you do during the 4 years between Competitions?"  The answer is a variety of things.  Most importantly, we manage and promote the careers of our Laureates.  The success of "The Indianapolis" is contingent on the successful careers of our Laureates.  Our Laureates make up an incredible list of concert soloists, concertmasters of major orchestras, chamber musicians, and noted pedagogues.  We also present a Laureate Series featuring a wonderful array of chamber music concerts and recitals throughout the season in Indianapolis.  We would love to see you at any and all of our events and we hope you check back here often to read more about the exciting happenings of the IVCI organization!

Isaac Thompson
Manager of Special Projects