Tseng Yu-chien, 20, will get to hone his skills on a rare Castelbarco-Tarisio violin for another year. One of a 1,362-strong collection held by the southern Taiwan facility, the musical instrument was produced in 1732 by Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu and is valued at NT$100 million (US$3.22 million).
Tseng, a two-time winner of Chimei Arts Award, has been loaned violins from the museum 14 times in the past nine years, winning major competitions with seven of them. “I owe everything I have accomplished to the generous and kind support from Chimei.”
Playing concertos by Sibelius and Tchaikovsky with the Guarneri violin in the final round of this year’s International Tchaikovsky Competition, Tseng outperformed his rivals from Moldova and Russia to finish second at the prestigious competition July 1 in Moscow. No first place winner was selected.
Museum founder Shi Wen-long said he was happy to see the precious instrument in the hands of a gifted musician like Tseng. “For me, the sponsorship is not just music patronage but also an obligation to foster more Taiwan talents.
“Over the past decade, we have lent nearly 230 violins to more than 3,000 aspiring musicians free of charge.”
Tseng said he will use the violin to participate in several upcoming international events, hoping to impress the audience and boost Taiwan’s standing in the international music community. (SFC-JSM)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttoline@mofa.gov.tw