Local Young Violinist in Prestigious Master Class

Jinan Woo of Ridgefield, NJ has spent the pandemic practicing, perfecting and preparing for her coveted spot in The Philadelphia International Music Festival’s new Master Class taught by Dara Morales, Assistant Principal Second Violin of The Philadelphia Orchestra, on March 25, 2021.

“We’ve been seeing some very high-caliber young musical talent submitting extraordinary auditions,” says PIMF President Sandy Marcucci. “We’re delighted by the enthusiasm and so heartened to see how young musicians are pursuing their musical passion with a will to learn and improve in spite of so much disruption.”

Jinan is a 13-year-old 8th grader at the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, CA, and studying remotely from her Bergen County home. She's a very accomplished musician already: admitted to the junior division of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at age 4, making her solo concert debut at age ten and a year later, winning 1st Prize at the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians.

Jinan currently studies violin with Li Lin and Stella Chen of The Juilliard School.

Although a veteran of master classes, the PIMF program will be her first virtual master class, and Jinan admits to some qualms.

“Although playing in a master class this big-- especially online-- makes me so nervous, I think imagining that I’m in a normal master class setting will really help,” she says. “I think since the digital stage thing is so new for everyone, it will be a little awkward but I hope it will help me in the future when I might learn or teach digitally.”

Jinan will play Henryk Wieniawski’s “Polonaise (No. 2) brillante in A major, Op. 21” for Ms. Morales and a worldwide online audience at the interactive master class, after which she will receive analysis and constructive criticism from the internationally-renowned violinist, along with supportive running commentary from viewers in real time.

“Although it’s not as known as the 1st polonaise, I still love how versatile it is,” Jinan says of her selection. “I love this piece so much because it has so much style of the polonaise dance and many different parts where I have to express so many colors of the violin. I love Wieniawski’s pieces in general because since he was a violinist, many of his pieces are very virtuosic and let the violinist show the many colors and techniques of the instrument.”

PIMF launched PIMFOnline.org to fill the void for social distancing music students with programs including individual and group lessons and free online practice rooms. The popular Master Class Series draws not only music students, but music teachers and music lovers missing the concert hall. Tickets are complimentary for students and educators, as well as members of The Philadelphia Orchestra community.

Upcoming Master Classes include April 29th with Nathaniel West, Acting Assistant Principal Bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, May 13th with Boris Allakhverdyan, Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and May 20th with Juliette Kang, First Associate Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

“More and more, we’re finding that there’s a real hunger for that connection to live classical music performance that we’ve had to put on hold this last year,” Ms. Marcucci adds, “along with a growing interest in improving musical skills and even just learning something new. Not to mention, we’re showcasing the classical music superstars of tomorrow! Our Master Class series hits all the right notes for so many music lovers, and we’re delighted to make them widely accessible.”