By Stephanie Powell
Violinist Augustin Hadelich has been named as the inaugural winner of the Warner Music Prize, a classical-music award established by the Warner Music Group to be given to a musician between ages 18 to 35 of “exceptional talent and great promise.”
The award includes a $100,000 cash prize and a recording deal with Warner Classics. Hadelich, who last appeared at Carnegie Hall in December 2014 performing Barber’s Violin Concerto with the New York String Orchestra, was selected from a batch of 16 vocalists and instrumentalists who performed during Carnegie’s 2014–15 season.
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“One thing I am spending a lot of money on every year are videos of performances,” Hadelich told WQXR, adding that he plans to use some prize money toward the cost of video production. “It’s a lot more expensive than people generally assume. But your presence on YouTube is incredibly helpful for your career.”
Hadelich, who plays on the 1723 “ex-Kieswetter” Stradivari, is slated to return to the hall’s stage in December 2015, debuting with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performing Stravinsky’s Divertimento from the ballet Le baiser de la fee (The Fairy’s Kiss), which was arranged by violinist Dmitri Sitkovetsky. His 2015–16 season also includes returns to a handful of US–based symphonies: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, New Jersey, Oregon, Seattle, and Philadelphia. He has also been named the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s artist-in-residence, and will return to the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Wigmore Hall.
For more information, visit warnermusicprize.com.