February 7, 2022
Nick Hammel, a Butler School senior specializing in violin performance, recently won first place in the Ann and Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition, capturing a $5,000 prize along with the chance to perform the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra on March 5, 2022.
“It’s nice to have some sort of sign that I am on the right track,” Hammel said. “Especially after learning this concerto through three times now. It was also really inspiring to get to hear the other musicians playing at the competition.”
Hammel studies at the Butler School under Associate Professor of Practice in Violin Performance Sandy Yamamoto. “I am so proud of Nick for winning this competition,” Yamamoto said. “He has worked really hard for this, and it’s nice when the result is good.”
Yamamoto said competitions are often “tricky,” since outcomes are always uncertain and many variables are in play. “But there is a lot that I love about them,” she said. “I love how students prepare differently when a competition performance is at stake. I feel that they take even more care in attending to the details and exploring the music more thoroughly. They also spend more time perfecting the overall pacing and presentation of their pieces, which make their end products much more effective.”
Hammel said he’s most excited about the chance to play chamber music with other musicians in the Richardson Symphony, especially since it’s the Brahms Violin Concerto.
“It’s one of my favorites, and it’s great playing it with piano, but I think that the sonority of the orchestra really suits it best,” Hammel said. “That is what I really love about Brahms - even in a solo work like a concerto, he manages to make it seem more like chamber music, rather than feeling like there is only a spotlight on the soloist.”