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.
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.
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.
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.
H-E-B is one step closer to opening its first location in the city of Dallas.
The grocery chain filed a construction permit for the store at 635 and Hillcrest Road on Wednesday.
According to the permit, construction is set to begin in March 2027. The store is projected to open in September 2028.
When plans for the location were first announced last year, some neighbors raised concerns about the development. Those concerns included increased traffic, noise pollution and crime.
A primary concern is congestion in an already high-traffic area. H-E-B says it plans to add turn lanes and make other upgrades to ease congestion, but neighbors still have concerns.
When the zoning request was still being considered in December 2025, some drew comparisons between the abundance of grocery stores in northern Dallas to the long fight to bring more grocers to food deserts in southern Dallas. The rezoning request passed 14-1.
In a statement, H-E-B wrote: “We appreciate the thoughtful consideration from city officials, staff, and community members throughout this process. We are committed to serving Texans and look forward to bringing our first H-E-B store to the city of Dallas.”
Benjamin Scott, Group Vice President of Real Estate and Shopping Center Development for H-E-B said the new store will bring 800 new jobs and an estimated $24 million in tax revenue to Dallas over the next five years.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
1. Dorance Armstrong Jr., EDGE, Commanders
This one makes too much sense to me to not talk about.
Dorance Armstrong is a player the Commanders could cut ties with to save some cap space. For Dallas, this would not be some mystery evaluation because the Cowboys know exactly who Armstrong is.
They drafted him, and watched him grow into a dependable pass rusher.
I’m not saying Dorance Armstrong is some game-wrecking superstar, but he’s an edge defender who can give good snaps, set the edge, chase quarterbacks, and fit into a rotation without needing the whole defense built around him.
The NFC East part gives it extra spice, too. Bringing back a former Cowboy from Washington would get some attention, but the football part is what sells it. Dallas needs waves of pressure and Armstrong brings another wave.
2. Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE/LB, Seahawks
Uchenna Nwosu is the kind of name that doesn’t scream headline, but fits the job description.
Seattle’s roster lists Nwosu as a linebacker, and shows him at 6’2, 265 pounds with nine years of experience. He is credited with seven sacks during the Seahawks’ 2025 season.
That’s the kind of veteran pass rusher I would love to see Dallas pick up if the money doesn’t get weird.
Nwosu isn’t a luxury piece, but he is insurance. He’s the type of player I feel would keep the Cowboys from putting too much stress on the same pass rushers every week.
You can never have enough guys who can heat up the pocket, especially in a conference where every playoff road seems to run through quarterbacks who can make you pay if they get comfortable.
More than 100 people gathered Friday night at a high school near the sealed‑off blast zone to honor the victims of the deadly explosion at The Clyde apartments in Oak Cliff.
The vigil – filled with hymns, prayers, and candles – brought together neighbors, local leaders, and pastors, many of whom were personally connected to those who died.
Just down the street, the debris field marks where three people were killed and five others injured when an explosion and fire tore through the complex earlier in the day.
Among those honored was Sylvia Collins, a Democratic Party precinct chair known for her energy, advocacy, and signature raised‑fist rally pose.
State Rep. Cassandra Garcia‑Hernandez reflected on the loss, saying she couldn’t imagine taking another “fist‑up photo” with Collins.
State Sen. Royce West urged the community to remember Collins by continuing the work she championed.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the other two victims, believed to be a young woman and her toddler.
Dallas Fire‑Rescue Chief Justin Ball confirmed that the search and recovery phase is complete, though he declined to comment on whether construction crews digging near the property may have struck a natural gas line before the blast.
Ball also defended the actions of firefighters who were on scene for up to 10 minutes before the explosion without ordering evacuations. He said crews first had to locate the source of the gas odor, secure a water supply, and gear up before they could begin clearing the building.
One survivor has already filed a lawsuit against Atmos Energy, accusing the utility of failing to properly monitor for gas leaks. Attorney Sadi Antonmattei‑Goitia said incidents like this “don’t happen without bad decisions being made.”
Atmos did not respond to questions about the lawsuit but issued a statement saying the company’s “hearts go out to the people who were tragically lost, their families, and everyone who has been impacted.”
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