BY CUTCOMMON
It’s been a couple of weeks since young musicians from around the world received some extraordinary news: they had won a prize in the prestigious Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
The competition invited string quartets and piano trios from around the world to compete for the chance to win potentially tens of thousands of dollars. A successful result could open new doors in music, empowering them to develop the next stage of their careers.
One of those groups — Trio Orelon — took home two prizes at a combined total of $25,500.
Now the adrenaline has started to wear off, the talented emerging musicians of this group tell CutCommon what the experience was like, and how they gave it their very best before and during the competition.
Trio Orelon was founded in Cologne in 2019, and features violinist Judith Stapf, cellist Arnau Rovira i Bascompte, and pianist Marco Sanna.
Congratulations on your incredible success with MICMC! How did you feel when you heard that you had won two prizes in the competition?!
ARNAU: I think it’s safe to say that we were in shock!…We actually needed some time to realise what had happened but, of course, we were extremely happy. We worked very hard in the last months, but one never expects it to work out this way.
Now that it’s started to sink in a bit, what dreams and plans are beginning to evolve?
ARNAU: We obviously hope that the prize opens some doors for us and brings us new opportunities. This success is actually a good way to present ourselves to concert organisers and agencies, and we hope to learn to use it to our advantage.
But from previous experiences, we know that in order to be able to benefit from it, we still need to stay active and put in some work, and we are ready to take on that.
We have also been able to discover a bit of the country and its people, and we have fallen in love with it. Right now, it’s already a dream of ours to be able to come back to Australia — in the best case, for some concerts!
Let’s return to the performance itself — or perhaps a little bit earlier! Your preparation methods obviously served you well; how did you get ready to compete?
ARNAU: I don’t think we did anything special! We spent weeks — months — practising and rehearsing with a clear objective in mind, just like I’m sure any group did. The thing that, in my opinion, served us the most was the actual planning and scheduling of the whole preparation period. We knew that we would be busy up until the competition started with concerts, travelling, and our personal lives, so we just had to make a realistic plan to be as efficient as possible.
We were also lucky enough to be able to perform most of the repertoire in concerts in the weeks previous to the competition, and we believe that to be the best way to get ready for a competition!
How did you approach the pressure of the competition, and what kept you in a good and healthy place when you were performing?
JUDITH: We are very aware of how physically and mentally demanding a competition can be. So our goal from the beginning was to not push ourselves too much, because we know that we actually have to save energy for the performances.
In the months and weeks before the competition, we rehearsed almost every day but we tried to keep a good work-life balance at all times. When we arrived to Melbourne, we knew that in terms of preparation, we did the best we could, and that was a good basis to stay calm and really focus on each other and the music.
It is also quite helpful that we have very different personalities and are able to balance each other out if one of us gets stressed out.
How would you describe the experience of being on the MICMC stage?
JUDITH: To perform at MICMC was very surprising for us in the sense that each round from the very beginning felt like a concert.
We immediately perceived a good and warm energy from the audience. It was so encouraging to play for a supportive public rather than critical judges…For me personally, the most nerve-wracking moment is always before getting the results. Minutes start to feel like hours and I just don’t get used to it. But I guess that’s part of the deal, and in the end it was really worth it!
Why do you think this competition presents an extraordinary opportunity for chamber players across the world — regardless of the final result?
MARCO: I think MICMC represents an extraordinary showcase of the very best emerging piano trios and string quartets nowadays. The fact of being there has an enormous meaning already by itself. Preparing for such a big competition forces us to go over our current limits, get to know ourselves and each other better, train our ears to a new level, and dive deeper into the music. So in the end, it’s a chance to grow as human beings as well as musicians.
What tips would you give to chamber players who are hoping to succeed in their own careers, whether that’s in a competition, exam, or performance?
MARCO: I’d tell them to stay faithful to themselves. Integrity is the key word!
Be curious, open, and receptive to all inputs from your teachers, mentors, and from your musicians and friends too.
But at the end, have the courage to be yourself and don’t strive for being liked by everyone and anyone!
Check out the full list of winners of Musica Viva’s 2023 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
Images supplied. Credit: James Grant, Matthew Chen.
