Schoenfeld International Music Society
Schoenfeld International Music Society (SIMS), founded in Los Angeles, California in the United States, and is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that promotes musical research, education, and international cultural exchange. The Society endeavours to foster cross-cultural musical exchange and other social activities, including educational program, masterclasses, music competitions, and music festivals. Internationally acclaimed American pedagogue and artist, Alice Schoenfeld (1921-2019), founded the SIMS and also serves as Honorary Chairwoman. President, Suli Xue, is joined by a team of renowned musicians serving as consultants, teachers and jury members.
SIMS operates for both professional organizations as well as the public, promoting the highest level of excellence and musical charm while stimulating symbiotic connections between both groups. The core activities of the Society include the Schoenfeld International String Competition and the Schoenfeld International Music Festival, which combine international pedagogic ideas to seek and promote young musical talent while facilitating exposure to the international music scene. The goal of SIMS is to enrich the culture of music by recognizing and promoting highly gifted young musicians. Launched to continue the Schoenfeld legacy of highest quality string performances, SIMS is dedicated to both sisters’ outstanding musical careers and particularly embodies of the dream of elder sister, Eleonore Schoenfeld (1925-2007).
Alice, elder sister and violinist and Eleonore, younger sister and cellist were born into a German musical family and became acclaimed string pedagogues and performing artists in the 20th Century. Eleonore was accepted into the Hochschule filr Musik in Berlin at the age of 14, studying with Professor Adolf Steiner. Under the tutelage of Professor Karl Klinger, Alice performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra when she was only 10 years old. She later became universally acknowledged as the third-generation successor of Joseph Joachim, the leader of the German violin school in the second half of the 19th Century. Joachim was the authoritative interpreter of Classical and Romantic music. The development and maturation of Joachim's violin school were closely connected to Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann and Bruch as well as other great German musicians，and it became enormously influential to musical development all over the world. This profound legacy led the German violin school to a rigorous, yet brilliant style and legitimate pedagogy.
Through music, the international language, the Schoenfeld sisters advocated integrity, truth and beauty of spirit throughout their lives and provided a nurturing environment to musicians, particularly their own international students. On October 28, 2012, the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music named their newly constructed concert hall the "Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall", in honour of the Schoenfeld sisters’ contribution to education and their outstanding achievements as professors. The University also established the "Schoenfeld Endowed Chair in String Instruction" and honoured them with the "Lifelong Excellent Teaching Prize."
In 2008, the American String Teachers Association bestowed the revered "National Artist Teacher Award'' upon them. SIMS seeks to propagate the Schoenfeld sisters, scientific and efficient pedagogy with international methods of education. Additionally, SIMS aims to assist music students by opening doors for them to further their training with study abroad.
