Danish violinist Anna Egholm got into the Carl Nielsen Violin Competition when another contestant pulled out, so she has only had two weeks to practice.

A couple of weeks ago an email popped up in Anna Egholm’s inbox. A contestant at this year’s Carl Nielsen Violin Competition had just pulled out. Would Anna like to take up the vacant slot? After considerable soul-searching she accepted the opportunity.

“I was over the moon to be offered the chance, but I was also pretty iffy about it. The repertoire is wickedly extensive and I hadn’t played it before. But I decided to give it a go anyway and grab the chance.”

Intense practice

For the last two weeks Anna has been doing practically nothing but practice.

“I have practiced far more than I usually do. And the pieces are different, too. I must admit it’s been quite stressful”, she says.

Yes, Anna has been under extraordinary pressure but she says there are also good things about getting into the competition at such a late stage.

“There’s extra attention and pressure on me because I’m from Denmark, and on that count my late entry has actually been a help. The pressure hasn’t had time to get to me.”

Anna will step onto the platform at 10.50 on Saturday. You can catch her performing here.