The John Pollard Competition for Young String Players identifies, financially assists and develops the potential of exceptional young string players. Six Junior RIAM students competed for the John Pollard Award of €2,000 for an outstanding violinist or violist and the Stephen Vernon Award of €2,000 for an outstanding cellist or double bass player. Our jury on the night were Diane Daly (RIAM Head of Strings), Ross Lyness (Head of Junior RIAM) and David Edmonds, who had the difficult task of selecting the winners.
Iona Wu was announced as the winner of the John Pollard Award for an outstanding violinist with her performances of Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 5 in A Major, 2nd Movement and Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen Op. 20 Also performing on the evening was Olivia Rose Vondrys (violin) and Aela O'Sullivan (violin).
Anna Varga was announced as the winner of the Stephen Vernon Award for an outstanding cellist or double bass player. Anna performed Bach's Prelude in C Major from Cello Suite No. 3, Brahms Cello Sonatas in E Minor, 2nd Movement and Boulanger's Trois Piéces. Also competing were Ai Shen Sun (cello) and Joshua Hennessy (double bass).
A huge thank you to Gemma Martin from the John Pollard Foundation who awarded the prizes, our jury and Stephen Vernon.
Iona Wu Biography
Iona Wu is a 15 year old from Dublin who is currently studying with Michael D’Arcy at RIAM. She started her violin studies with Cristina Pushca when she was 6 years old and later was taught by Maeve Broderick and Joanne Quigley. Iona is a member of RIAM Young Artist Programme and is one of the founding members of the Brantford Quartet. She frequently participates in the Feis Ceoil and as a prize winner, she has been invited to play as a soloist in the Feis Ceoil Young Platform Series and with her quartet at the Feis Ceoil Gala in the National Concert Hall in 2023. Iona is also a section leader in the RIAM Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. She was the prize winner of the Power Fines Violin Prize in 2023 and received an 1850s French violin, on which she now plays. Iona is a 3rd year pupil at Wesley College Dublin and a keen sports player in Dublin U16 Camogie Team, BSJ GAA minor camogie team and Wesley Senior Basketball Team.
Anna Varga Biography
Anna Varga is a Hungarian cellist studying in the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Ailbhe McDonagh. She has been a prize winner in competitions such as Feis Ceoil, Frank Maher Awards, RIAM Junior Solo Competition and more. Anna has played with multiple orchestras such as the RIAM and DYO Symphony Orchestras, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, RIAM Philharmonia and the RTE Concert Orchestra. Anna has a great interesting in playing chamber music. She took part in the '2023 West Cork Chamber Music Festival' masterclass series with numerous renowned musicians, and she is currently a member of the "Emerald String Quartet" in RIAM. Anna is also very passionate about performing as a soloist. She recorded the 1st movement of the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto no.1 with the DYO Symphony Orchestra which was premiered in the Lighthouse Cinema in 2022. She recently made her National Concert Hall debut as a soloist, as a part of 'The Great Christmas Concert 2023' lead by Ite O'Donovan. She currently plays on the “Elizabeth Barrett” cello which was awarded to her on loan from RIAM.