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Review: Dallas International Violin Competition presents its winners

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Review: Dallas International Violin Competition presents its winners


Another week, another D-FW classical music competition.

Tuesday night, just a week and a half after the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition named its winners in Fort Worth, the Dallas International Violin Competition presented its three finalists in concert at Moody Performance Hall, then announced their prizes.

The $2,500 first prize went to American violinist Laurel Gagnon, currently studying at the Yale University School of Music. The prize also includes a future solo engagement with the Dallas Chamber Symphony, which presented the competition.

The $1,500 second prize and $500 audience choice award went to Hong Kong native Hiu Sing Fan, who’s pursuing a doctor of musical arts degree at Northwestern University.

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The $1,000 third prize was awarded to Alice Lee, a Canadian studying at New England Conservatory.

In the concert, each of the finalists played a violin concerto with the Chamber Symphony, led by guest conductor Peter Bay, music director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Gagnon performed the Brahms concerto, Fan and Lee the Sibelius.

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Thomas Adès arrangements of Couperin joined works by Bizet and Saint-Saëns.

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Pianist Christopher Goodpasture supplied great flair in works by Liszt and Turina.

The biennial competition is open to violinists 18 to 35. From applications and video recordings, 16 violinists were selected for the in-person competition. The first two rounds were held June 12 and 13 at the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Each quarterfinalist performed a violin concerto with piano accompaniment, after which nine semifinalists performed recitals of unaccompanied solo violin works. A jury of three professional violinists/teachers picked contestants for each round.

It’s impressive that even a newer and lower-visibility competition could attract players of such technical authority and interpretive sophistication as the three heard Tuesday. Different listeners might have ranked them very differently.

All three occasionally overdid gruff bowings of fortissimo double-stops, at least for a 700-seat hall about one-third the size of most orchestra halls. This bothered me more in the Brahms, where it’s better to err on the side of reserve. And for me Gagnon’s choice of the over-the-top Fritz Kreisler cadenza overloaded the concerto.

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But she’s an accomplished and expressive musician, and after Bay and the orchestra — principal oboist Elise Belk especially — eloquently introduced the slow movement, Gagnon tapped right into their timing and tapered phrases. The finale was a little more deliberate than I was expecting, but Brahms does qualify his “happy allegro” marking with “but not too lively.”

Both Fan and Lee delivered Sibelius’ scurries, double-stops and leaps into high pianissimos with impressive assurance, but differently. Not for Lee the Nordic cool often heard in the piece — hers was a passionate account, by turns earthy and ethereal, with considerable freedom in the built-in cadenza. Fan’s Sibelius was more conventionally cool, with a fine focus throughout.

With wind and brass sections as large as would be deployed in a 2,000-seat hall, although far fewer strings, Bay had his work cut out to keep the orchestra in balance. Apart from an occasional spot when flutes and clarinets or horns were a little too prominent, he and the players maintained impressive equilibrium. Always attuned to the soloists, Bay shaped the music securely and sensitively.

This would have been a good opportunity to ask the audience not to applaud after every movement, as it did Tuesday. And prolonged late seating during the slow movement of Lee’s Sibelius was unfortunate.



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Dallas, TX

Mailbag: Why waste offensive talent?

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Mailbag: Why waste offensive talent?


(Editor’s Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in ‘Mailbag’ presented by Miller Lite.)

Is it more valuable for the Cowboys to hold their draft capital rather than use it to trade for a difference maker to create pressure and sacks? Why waist the offensive talent you have this year and hold on to the draft picks when it’s clear that Dallas has half a super bowl contending team? – Will Epler/Colorado Springs, CO

Patrik: I’ve made it no secret about where I stand on this topic: trade for one or two players to not waste this window of elite offensive play. You simply don’t know if Dak Prescott will equal or better this form in the years to come and, oh by the way, he’s already in his early 30s, and not in his mid-20s. Additionally, you can’t predict if George Pickens sticks around to keep the same level of weaponry surrounding Prescott, so forth and so on. Having shiny extra draft picks to use is fun, because of imagination. You get to imagine what might be and who they might select and, maybe, just maybe, that the pick turns out to be a Hall of Famer every … single … time. In reality, though, even for a team that drafts well, like the Cowboys, it’s still a crapshoot every … single … time. More picks are great fuel for draft show talks and mock drafts, but ask Dak Prescott if he gives an iota of a crap about any of that. Win now, while you have the quarterback and offense to do it, and stop pretending you have time to waste.



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Cowboys-Cardinals announcer assignment draws Dallas legend in Week 9

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Cowboys-Cardinals announcer assignment draws Dallas legend in Week 9


The Dallas Cowboys will be aiming to get back into the win column in Week 9 of the NFL season when the team welcomes the Arizona Cardinals to AT&T Stadium for a primetime showdown on Monday Night Football.

Dallas hopes to regain momentum entering its bye week and ahead of the NFL trade deadline, where the team is expected to be active players.

For Week 9, Dallas fans will be hearing a familiar voice on the broadcast with Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman on the call, along with Joe Buck.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys vs Arizona Cardinals, Week 9 betting odds & preview

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Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will provide updates from the sideline throughout the game.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with former quarterback Troy Aikman before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with former quarterback Troy Aikman before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If Aikman and Buck aren’t your cup of tea, the football gods are looking out for you because there will be a Manningcast simulcast for the game with Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and some high-profile guests sharing their thoughts throughout the night.

Entering Week 9, the Cowboys are slight 2.5-point favorites at home over the visiting Cardinals, while the over/under is set for a whopping 54.5 total points.

Let’s take a look at all of the information you need for Week 9 against Arizona can be seen below.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacts after losing to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacts after losing to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Date: Monday, November 3, 2025
Start Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Arlington, Texas
Venue: AT&T Stadium
TV Channel: ABC/ESPN

Betting Odds: Cowboys -2.5 | O/U: 54.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Your best bet for watching the game via streaming is through Fubo TV. Fubo has a full slate of games every Sunday afternoon on FOX & CBS and has all the big primetime matchups for Sunday Night Football via NBC and Monday Night Football via ESPN.

Fubo includes the NFL Network in every plan, which offers access to exclusive coverage of the NFL all year round, plus select games from the NFL International Series. Fubo users can add NFL RedZone from NFL Network for an additional cost to go around the league every Sunday afternoon to catch every touchdown. Fubo also includes a lineup of the top sports networks like ESPN, FS1, CBS Sports Network & more to get big headlines and expert analysis from TV’s most popular sports talk shows.

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Dallas Stars nearing extension with defenseman Thomas Harley, reports say

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Dallas Stars nearing extension with defenseman Thomas Harley, reports say


The Dallas Stars are nearing a deal to lock in another key member of the franchise’s core moving forward.

The Stars are finalizing talks with defenseman Thomas Harley on an eight-year deal worth in the ballpark of $10.5 million annually, according to multiple media reports Tuesday. The contract would keep Harley in Dallas through the 2031-32 season.

Harley is currently in the second year of a two-year bridge contract he signed ahead of the 2024-25 season worth $4 million annually, but as one of the rising stars at his position, he’s due for a significant raise.

The Stars drafted the defenseman in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft and have developed him in their system since. So far in his fifth season in Dallas, he’s recorded eight points (one goal and seven assists) in nine games.

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Harley became one of the Stars’ top defensemen last season when he recorded 50 points in 78 games and averaged over 23 minutes of ice time. Following an injury to Miro Heiskanen, Harley stepped into a larger role and caught the attention of the league when he was a late addition to Team Canada in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Harley’s rise to becoming one of Dallas’ top defensemen came after a winding journey where he was sent down to the AHL for most of the 2022-23 season to develop his defensive game. Harley has always had strong offensive instincts — but has returned to Dallas a far more skilled defensive player.

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The Stars saw that and wanted to lock him down long-term. But with the hefty $96 million deal they gave Mikko Rantanen last season and Jason Robertson’s ongoing contract negotiations, it wouldn’t be easy.

Nevertheless, Harley was a top priority — and Dallas appears to be paying up accordingly.

The deal would make Harley the second-highest paid player on the Stars, trailing only Rantanen. The two players share an agent. He would be the highest-paid defenseman, passing Heiskanen’s $8.45 million AAV, which extends through the 2028-29 season.

It would put Harley at the fourth-highest AAV among defensemen in the league, trailing only Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million), Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin ($11 million) and Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty ($11 million).

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Given the Mavs’ strong-arm tactics, chances of the Stars agreeing to cohabitate long-term are nil. Not that the Mavs will lose any sleep over it.

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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