Pablo A. Tariman: The 39 contestants recently underwent exhaustive master classes at the Keshet Eilon music camp in Israel conducted by Patinka Kopec for the first half of the course, and Alexander Vinnitski for the second half.
The big bonus is the presence of Israeli violin icon Ivry Gitlis who listened to his rendition of Ernest Bloch’s “Nigun” which is about the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people.
Recalls Joaquin Maria “Chino” Gutierrez: “I remember asking him if I was able to bring the Jewish pain and pathos to my and he said, ‘The pain and the pathos are yours. These are what you bring to your music. Do not relate to your music based on how others will react or what others will say.’ In effect, he was telling me to always trust my inner voice. He also liked to advise students to ‘take risks’ and ‘not to play it safe’. I also remember him saying that ‘music, like love, is not polite’. I think he meant that one should dare speak the truth when one plays, without trying to seek approval or follow the rules all the time.”
