Dicterow is concertmaster at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He gave three contestants at the Chinese International Violin Competition a masterclass on Saturday night at the Kaufman Center. The three pupils, Alyssa Cheung, Andrew Lin, and Nancy Zhou, were chosen by lottery among the contestants to participate in the masterclass.
“He's like Santa Claus,” said one contestant who joined Dicterow on stage. “He's so friendly.” If Santa were Dicterow, then the gifts he imparts take the form of advice—on bow handling, sound projection, fingering; and insight—on the nuances of expression and interpreting each composer's work.
Cheng, Lin, and Zhou performed Beethoven, Mozart, Paganini, and Bach, first straight through as Dicterow listened, and then again with their playing punctuated by comments from their teacher for the night.
“Use more of the bow,” Dicterow would say, or, “Try this,” as he demonstrated on his own violin. Occasionally he would flash a thumbs-up. His charges picked up the new skills almost instantaneously.
“They play at such a high level,” Dicterow said after the class. “They all played the same piece completely differently. That creativity is something I didn't expect at quite that level.”
All three talents are no older than 30, and all three are of Chinese descent.
The annual series of competitions held by New Tang Dynasty Television serves as a gathering place for Chinese from all over the world who pursue the arts. The violin competition is one of nine focused on traditional arts both Chinese and Western.
Chinese Artists Blooming
The music world has watched the rise of Chinese violinist in recent years.
Three of four winners of the Menuhin Competition last year were Chinese, and, as fate would dictate, all bore the surname Chen—Jiafeng Chen, Ray Chen, and Stella Chen.
“Of the five finalists, three were Chens,” said violin craftsman Christophe Landon. “And you know why? 'Chen,' when you break the character down, means 'the ear from the East.'”
Landon, whose workshop, Rare Violins, was literally steps away from the competition venue, witnessed the masterclass and was duly impressed by the players' talents. To him, it's no surprise that people of Chinese descent would be so adept in Western classical music.
“Westerners may say that Chinese don't understand classical music but it's not true,” Landon said. “The Chinese understand strings better than Europeans do.”
To see all eight contestants in action in the final round on Sunday, please purchase tickets at www.violin.ntdtv.com .
