Natalie Loughran Wins First Prize in the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition

By Laurie Niles: LOS ANGELES - Natalie Loughran was named first-prize winner in the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition, which concluded Saturday at the Colburn School. Here are all the prizewinners:

• First Prize ($15,000): Natalie Loughran, 24, of the U.S.
• Second Prize ($10,000): Samuel Rosenthal, 21, of the U.S.
• Third Prize ($5,000): Nicholas Swensen, of Denmark/U.S.
• BIPOC Prize ($1,000): Natalie Loughran
• Transcriptions Prize ($1,000): Keoni Bolding, 24, of the United States
• Audience Prize: Natalie Loughran

Natalie Loughran is pursuing her masters degree at the Juilliard School, studying with Roger Tapping and Misha Amory. She appeared as a finalist for the 2020 Young Concert Artist Auditions and semifinalist at the Tertis International Viola Competition, where she was awarded a special prize for her performance of the Bowen Viola Sonata in C Minor. She is a member of the Kila Quartet, which has appeared on WQXR’s series, ‘Midday Masterpieces’, and has participated in the Perlman Music Program Chamber Workshop and the Robert Mann String Quartet Institute. Natalie has performed with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, under Gábor Takács-Nagy, toured internationally with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, directed by Ivan Fischer, and will be a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for the 2021-22 Season. In summers 2021 and 2022, Natalie will be attending Yellow Barn and Marlboro. During the final competition round, Rosenthal and Swensen each performed Béla Bartók's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, and Loughran performed William Walton’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, with the Colburn Orchestra conducted by Molly Turner, a Salonen Conducting Fellow at Colburn. The competition began earlier in the week with 24 violists, representing 10 countries. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 29. This year's jury included Barry Shiffman (Chairman), Andrés Cárdenes, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Heifetz, Mai Motobuchi, Dimitri Murrath, and Chauncey Patterson. You might also like:

• 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition Begins Today at Colburn School
• Hae-Sue Lee Wins First Prize in the 2018 Primrose International Viola Competition
• Interview with 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition winner Zhanbo Zheng: Choosing Viola