The making of Todd Mason's Violin Concerto, with Tosca Opdam

Todd Mason & Tosca Opdam discuss Todd Mason's Violin Concerto and the 2022 recording session in Budapest. This new concerto is already receiving glowing reviews:
“Violinist Tosca Opdam shows once again that new music suits her wonderfully. The demanding Concerto, by Todd Mason, becomes a 24-minute exciting fever dream with spiky rhythms, passionate dialogues between violin and orchestra, and a cinematic character.” -Maartje Stokkers, de Volkskrant, Amsterdam
“A virtuosic work that advances our idea of the concerto into the new century. The soloist, young Dutch violinist Tosca Opdam, plays with assurance and beauty. A superb recording that should be listened to time and again.” -Maureen Buja, Interlude HK
“Astutely pitched as “a violin concerto for the 21st century,” Todd Mason's Violin Concerto (2022) is brought to thrilling realization by soloist Tosca Opdam. Mason’s goal was to craft a musical adventure that both celebrates virtuosity and engages for its narrative form... and Mason’s Concerto is an immediately accessible affair. Those qualities stands it in good stead of being performed widely, as it so deserves.” -Ron Schepper, Textura, Canada
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TOSCA OPDAM
Tosca Opdam made her recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in June 2018 performing a program that included the World Premiere of Robin de Raaff’s North Atlantic Light, dedicated to Ms. Opdam and inspired by the Willem de Kooning painting of the same name. In May 2019 she premiered the work’s orchestral version with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouw, led by Marc Albrecht. Recent and upcoming highlights include a performance of Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz under the baton of Annedore Neufeld, recitals at the main hall of De Doelen, Rotterdam, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, the Hong Kong Generation Next Music Festival, as well as the lead role in a program dedicated to Mendelssohn year 2022, including his concerto for violin, piano and strings orchestra alongside his Octet.
Tosca Opdam earned her Masters of Music degree from The Juilliard School and studied with Catherine Cho, Patty Kopec and Sylvia Rosenberg. Ms. Opdam plays a Matteo Goffriller violin from 1700, which is generously on loan to her by a private collector.
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TODD MASON
Todd Mason (b.1957), a Los Angeles native, received his master's in Composition from The Juilliard School, studying with David Diamond, Peter Mennin, and Elliott Carter. Mason received the Rodgers & Hammerstein Juilliard Scholarship, Juilliard's Marion Freschl Award for a composition for voice and orchestra, first place in the National Federation of Music Clubs composition contest, first place in the Lancaster Summer Arts Festival, the ASCAP Young Composers award, presented by Aaron Copland. And he recently won first place in the American String Teachers Association 75th Anniversary composition contest.
Mason's orchestral works have been played by the The Juilliard Orchestra, The Sofia Philharmonic in Bulgaria, the Budapest Philharmonic, and The Brno Philharmonic in the Czech Republic. His chamber works have become increasingly popular in concert halls and music festivals around the world. His Violin Concerto is now available on Apple Music Classical & other streaming. His requiem for full orchestra and chorus, called “Lux Æterna,” is being performed in Europe and the U.S. and Mason will be Composer-in-Residence at the Syros International Music Festival in Greece. His Chamber Suite recently won the First Place Award in the American String Teachers Association 75th Anniversary Composition Contest.