NEW TO YOUTUBE | Making Menuhin: A Documentary

The Menuhin Competition released a short film detailing the journey of the musicians in this year’s contest

Founded in 1983, the biennial Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition is open to violinists aged 22 and under. Due to the pandemic, the competition’s 2020 edition was canceled and held online in 2021.

“In 2020, the Menuhin Competition was getting ready to arrive in [Richmond, Virginia],” the competition organizers recently posted on Facebook. “When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted around the world, [we] knew something would have to change.”

One result was a short film through VPM productions titled “Making Menuhin: A Documentary.” Directed by Paul Roberts, the footage follows the competition’s decision to postpone the contest by 12 months and how the pandemic affected the competing musicians.

Featuring exclusive interviews, the documentary also includes the performance videos of the four Senior prizewinners, including its winner, VC Young Artist María Dueñas.

“Our competitors had to overcome many hurdles this year to be able to share their music with the world,” the organizers wrote. “They did an incredible job of finding venues to record in — such as churches, recording studios, and closed performance halls.”

The documentary premiered on December 3, 2021, and is currently available on Facebook and YouTube. You can watch the documentary below.

Leading up to the competition this year, a podcast series was also launched called “Making Menuhin - Inside Stories of the World's Best Young Violinists.” Hosted by Sarah Schilling, each episode involved interviews with some of the competing violinists and past winners of the competition.