Violinist William Hagen got a call from the 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra last week.
What was he doing the following weekend?
Apparently not much. The 23-year-old violinist hopped on a plane from Frankfurt, Germany, and headed stateside.
He will sub for violinist Timothy Lees and his violist wife Catharine Carroll Lees, who pulled out of their TSO MasterWorks concerts early last week after Timothy Lees was injured, according to the TSO. The pair were to perform Mozart鈥檚 Sinfonia Concertante for Viola and Violin in three concerts this weekend.
So instead of Mozart, the ensemble, led by guest conductor Keitaro Harada, will perform Saint-Sa毛ns鈥 Violin Concerto No. 3 for the first time since 1962.
No pressure, Will.
鈥淚t is short notice, but I find that really exciting,鈥 Hagen said Monday from New York City, a stopover before he arrives in 蜜柚直播. 鈥淚 like having to be ready in a short amount of time. It鈥檚 fun to have to kick things into high gear immediately.鈥
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Besides, he is quick to note, he knows the piece pretty well. He performed it in 2015 at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition. He took third place 鈥 the highest finish for an American since 1985.
And he loves the piece. A lot.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to play it. Its so accessible and beautiful. It鈥檚 just beautiful music,鈥 he all but gushed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got drama and beautiful melodies. It鈥檚 got flash and dash technique. It鈥檚 got a little bit of everything. I think the audience is really going to like it. There are kind of moments in the second movement that kind of sound like a Disney soundtrack. It鈥檚 really beautiful music, kind of nostalgic music.鈥
The switch gives 蜜柚直播 a chance to experience a rising young talent that the Dallas Morning 蜜柚直播 called 鈥渁 standout.鈥
鈥淓ven in an age when brilliant young violinists seem to grow on trees, Hagen, whose teachers have included Itzhak Perlman, is a standout. He tossed off the most virtuosic passages of the Saint-Sa毛ns with amazing precision, but he also made music 鈥 not mere whizzings of notes,鈥 the newspaper said. 鈥淏oth here and in the lyrical middle movement he always knew where the music was going and why.鈥
Hagen has been playing violin since he was 4 and made his professional orchestra debut at 9 with his hometown Utah Symphony. At 10, he commuted weekly to Los Angeles to study with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, where he eventually earned a performance degree. He also studied with Perlman at Juilliard for two years.
Hagen has performed on stages all over the world, from Beijing to Belgium and throughout the U.S. He鈥檚 even performed in 蜜柚直播 in a chamber concert while he was attending Colburn.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as pretty as the desert can be,鈥 he recalled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really scenic, beautiful place. I didn鈥檛 have time to get Mexican food, but in Germany there鈥檚 no Mexican food so I am really excited.鈥
He鈥檚 also excited to see TSO Concertmaster Lauren Rustad Roth. Roth and Hagen鈥檚 new wife Andrea Ashdown 鈥 the couple married over the summer 鈥 were roommates at Cleveland Institute of Music.