Jacques Forestier
Article by Debbie Waldman
Fresh off winning first prize at the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Germany, 20-year-old Jacques Forestier treated the guests at the Annual Fall Dinner to an absolutely enchanting evening on October 26 at The University Club in Edmonton.
A student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Jacques had the crowd spellbound as he performed Antonín Dvořák’s Sonatina in G Major, Henryk Wieniawski’s Fantasy on Themes from Faust, and selections from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, arranged by Jascha Heifetz.
In the audience were Jacques’ parents and grandparents. Jacques’ mother, Marie, began teaching him how to play the violin when he was two years old. At Curtis he studies with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank, as well as Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program.
Since making his solo debut at age 11 with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Jacques has performed with numerous international symphonies in concert halls across North America, Europe, and Asia, collecting honors and awards including first prize at the 2021 Shean Strings Competition. He has upcoming engagements with renowned orchestras across Europe, including the Bremen, Dresden, and Duisberg Philharmonics, as well as the Cologne Philharmonic.
Jacques shared the 30,000-Euro first prize in the violin competition with Curtis alumna Angela Chan of Hong Kong. He also won 10,000 Euros for reaching the finals, the 2,000-Euro audience prize, a debut album with Warner Classics, and a three-year loan from the Fritz Behrens Siftung of a 1765 GB Guadagnini violin.
In a speech after he finished playing, Jacques thanked the Anne Burrows Music Foundation for supporting him for the past three years, making it possible for him to have what has turned out to be a life-changing experience as a student at Curtis.
He also shared some details about his recent experience at the competition in Hanover, Germany, including the “five grueling rounds of playing”: two full recital programs in the first round, playing and conducting a Mozart violin concerto with the Munich Chamber Orchestra in the second, along with serving as concertmaster for Bartok’s Divertimento; creating a 75-minute recital based on a theme provided by the competition committee in the third; and leading a Haydn quartet in the fourth—but he only learned what the piece was 24 hours before the competition. In the final round, he played a Dvořák violin concerto with NDR Radio Philharmonic, as well as a commissioned piece.
Jacques’ heartfelt description of what he called an “unbelievable experience” was as riveting as his performance. He’s making his family and the ABMF very proud. October 26 was a wonderful homecoming celebration of this talented violinist’s impressive milestone achievements!
A student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Jacques had the crowd spellbound as he performed Antonín Dvořák’s Sonatina in G Major, Henryk Wieniawski’s Fantasy on Themes from Faust, and selections from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, arranged by Jascha Heifetz.
In the audience were Jacques’ parents and grandparents. Jacques’ mother, Marie, began teaching him how to play the violin when he was two years old. At Curtis he studies with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank, as well as Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program.
Since making his solo debut at age 11 with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Jacques has performed with numerous international symphonies in concert halls across North America, Europe, and Asia, collecting honors and awards including first prize at the 2021 Shean Strings Competition. He has upcoming engagements with renowned orchestras across Europe, including the Bremen, Dresden, and Duisberg Philharmonics, as well as the Cologne Philharmonic.
Jacques shared the 30,000-Euro first prize in the violin competition with Curtis alumna Angela Chan of Hong Kong. He also won 10,000 Euros for reaching the finals, the 2,000-Euro audience prize, a debut album with Warner Classics, and a three-year loan from the Fritz Behrens Siftung of a 1765 GB Guadagnini violin.
In a speech after he finished playing, Jacques thanked the Anne Burrows Music Foundation for supporting him for the past three years, making it possible for him to have what has turned out to be a life-changing experience as a student at Curtis.
He also shared some details about his recent experience at the competition in Hanover, Germany, including the “five grueling rounds of playing”: two full recital programs in the first round, playing and conducting a Mozart violin concerto with the Munich Chamber Orchestra in the second, along with serving as concertmaster for Bartok’s Divertimento; creating a 75-minute recital based on a theme provided by the competition committee in the third; and leading a Haydn quartet in the fourth—but he only learned what the piece was 24 hours before the competition. In the final round, he played a Dvořák violin concerto with NDR Radio Philharmonic, as well as a commissioned piece.
Jacques’ heartfelt description of what he called an “unbelievable experience” was as riveting as his performance. He’s making his family and the ABMF very proud. October 26 was a wonderful homecoming celebration of this talented violinist’s impressive milestone achievements!