Age: 20
“Of all the instruments I could have played, only the wide range of the violin gives me the ability to be completely vulnerable and authentic as a performer.”
Hannah Tam has been studying at the Curtis Institute of Music under the guidance of Ida Kavafian and Benjamin Beilman since 2018. She began playing the violin at age four, after her older brother began to learn the instrument: “I would sit next to him while he had lessons. When he stopped playing and his guard was down, I would snatch his violin and try to mimic the movements I saw him doing. Although I can’t imagine I sounded particularly good, my parents took this as a sign that I should start lessons, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Hannah has garnered numerous distinctive international accolades, including the Third Prize and Audience Prize at the Menuhin International Competition Junior Division (2021), the Memorial Performance Award at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, and was First Prize Winner and Overall Winner of the Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition (2016), amongst others. Hannah has also been invited to serve as a Jubilee Ambassador for Bärenreiter. She has already impressed the Montreal public in 2019 at the age of 13, when she took part in the Mini Violini at the Concours musical international de Montréal, winning the Audience Prize.
Hannah has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras, such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Galveston Symphony, and the Brevard Music Centre Orchestra. Her performance of the Glazunov violin concerto with the Kansas City Symphony was an important moment of her musical journey: “Being supported by such an enthusiastic orchestra and connecting with a truly gracious audience made it one of the most memorable trips of all time.” She also had the privilege to display her dedication to music in various settings, such as the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland, and the La Jolla Music Festival in San Diego.
Hannah currently plays the “ex-Herten” violin from 1757 by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini.
The presence of Hannah Tam in Montreal is generously sponsored by
Christiane LeBlanc
