Natalie Loughran Awarded 1st Prize at Primrose Viola Competition

24-year-old Natalie Loughran from the United States was awarded first prize at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition, at the Colburn School, in Los Angeles

A current postgraduate student at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Roger Tapping and Misha Amory, Natalie will receive USD $15,000 and will be invited to give solo performances at the 2022 American Viola Society Festival and International Viola Congress

Second and third prizes were awarded to 21-year-old Samuel Rosenthal from the United States and 22-year-old Nicholas Swensen from Denmark/United States, respectively.

Natalie was also awarded this year’s Audience Award plus the prize for the Best Performance of a work written by a BIPOC composer.

Keoni Bolding was awarded this year's prize for the best transcription. 

Established in 1979, and named after the prominent viola virtuoso William Primrose, the competition is open to violists of any nationality 29 years and younger.

This year’s jury comprised Barry Shiffman (Chairman), Andrés Cárdenes, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Heifetz, Mai Motobuchi, Dimitri Murrath, and Chauncey Patterson.