Gwendolyn Masin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gwendolyn Masin |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 17 November 1977 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Violinist, author, pedagogue, |
| Instruments | Violin |
Gwendolyn Masin (born on November 17, 1977) is a talented Dutch and Irish musician. She is famous as a violinist, a writer, and a teacher. She also studies music history and theory.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Gwendolyn Masin was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She started playing the piano when she was just 3 years old. By the age of 5, she began learning the violin.
Her first public performance was at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. This happened within her first year of school! When she was 11, she played her first big concert in Ireland. This was at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Soon after, she appeared on a popular TV show called The Late Late Show.
Gwendolyn first learned violin from Coosje Wijzenbeek. Later, she moved to South Africa and continued her studies with her parents. From 1990 to 1996, she studied in Amsterdam with Herman Krebbers. She earned degrees and diplomas from four different countries. Her advanced studies were guided by famous violin teachers like Igor Ozim and Zakhar Bron.
Gwendolyn's Music Career
Performing as a Soloist
Gwendolyn Masin has performed with many famous orchestras. These include the Hungarian National Philharmonic and the State Symphony Orchestras of Saint Petersburg. She has also played with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and Portugal’s Concerto Moderno.
In Ireland, she has performed and recorded with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. She also played with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Playing Chamber Music
Gwendolyn loves playing Chamber music. This is music for a small group of instruments. She has played with many other talented musicians. These include violinists like Maxim Vengerov and cellists like Alexander Baillie. She has also performed with pianists such as Kit Armstrong and conductors like Janos Fürst.
Premiering New Music
Gwendolyn Masin has performed new pieces of music for the very first time. These are called "premieres." She has premiered works by composers like Raymond Deane and John Buckley.
John Buckley's Violin Concerto was first played by Gwendolyn on September 21, 2013. This was in Savannah, Georgia, USA. She later performed its European premiere in Dublin, Ireland, on February 3, 2015. She played with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
Music Productions and Festivals
In 2004, Gwendolyn started a special music series called "In Search of Lost Time." She continued this in 2010 with a new piece inspired by the writings of artist Paul Klee.
She has also appeared at many music festivals. These include the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Ireland. In 2006, she founded her own yearly event, the GAIA Music Festival. From 2007, she was the artistic director for the Carrick Water Music Festival for three years.
Between 2019 and 2023, Gwendolyn organized a series of events. These were called "Cocktail für die Musen" at Casino Bern in Switzerland.
Teaching and Writing
In 2020, Gwendolyn created "The Exhale." This was meant to be a retreat for musicians. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved the project online.
Gwendolyn practices yoga. She used her knowledge of yoga to write articles for The Strad magazine in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
She also teaches violin and chamber music masterclasses. She has taught students across Europe, North America, and East Asia. Gwendolyn earned a Ph.D. from Trinity College. Her research looked at how violin is taught.
Her book about teaching violin is called Michaela’s Music House, The Magic of the Violin. It was published in 2009 in English. A German version came out in 2018. From 2013 to 2021, Gwendolyn taught violin at the Haute école de musique de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland.
Awards and Achievements
Gwendolyn Masin has won many national and international awards. These include prizes in Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, and the Netherlands. She also received the International Music Award as the Dutch representative at the Global Stipends Awards.
Her Special Violin
Gwendolyn Masin plays a very old and special violin. It was made by Lorenzo Carcassi in 1761.
Music Albums
Gwendolyn Masin has released several music albums:
- 15 Squared (with Don Li)
- GAIA Music Festival 2009 (2009)
- GAIA Music Festival 2013 (2013)
- Eugène Ysaÿe: "Ballade" from the Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor (2016)
- Origin (2016)
- ZuekunftsNostalgie (with Oli Kehrli) (2016)
- GAIA Music Festival 2016 (2016)
- GAIA Music Festival 2017 (2017)
- Flame (2017)
- Trois (2018)
- GAIA Music Festival 2018 (2018)
- GAIA Music Festival 2019 (2019)
- West Side Story (2020)
- Legends (2022)
