VC YOUNG ARTISTS

VC YOUNG ARTIST | Kerson Leong, 24 — Menuhin Competition 1st Prize Winner

January 4, 2022

3 MIN READ

24-year-old Canadian violinist Kerson Leong is solidifying an international reputation as a powerful and individual musical force praised by Le Monde for his "natural command and devastating charisma"

An Associated Artist at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, where he was mentored by Augustin Dumay, Kerson is a former Junior first prize winner at the Menuhin Competition. He was also awarded the prestigious Grand Prize at the Canadian Stepping Stone Competition, the Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition for five consecutive years, and the Radios Francophones Publiques Young Soloist Prize.

His recent debuts include solo engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy and Sibelius Academy Chamber Orchestra.

Kerson served as Artist-in-Residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal under the direction of conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin in the 18/19 season.

He has also taught at the Sibelius Academy and the IU Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy.

Kerson currently performs on the "ex Bohrer" Guarneri del Gesu violin on generous loan from Canimex Inc.