Joshua Bell wins Avery Fisher Prize

Now here's something to rejoice about today: One of my favorite classical artists, the young but already highly-acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell, has been awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize.

I first heard of Joshua Bell when he was featured in a classical music magazine (I can no longer remember which one unfortunately) my grand aunt had brought home from the US sometime in the late 1980's. Back then he had just recorded a second album, winning over many young (female) fans mainly for his teen hearthrob looks I suppose. (I recall he was named one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in 2000.) Just out of his teens at that time, he was already a well known violinist while I had just taken a series of intensive piano lessons, competed at a couple of piano competitions and was working on the side as a piano accompanist for a number of choirs; and so it became my dream to be his accompanist one day. Sigh! Anyway, I already have a few of his albums including one of his recent ones, Romance of the Violin, but my definite favorite is his Kreisler Album.