Competitions

Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition 2020 announces Quarter Finalists

Twenty violinists will take place in the Quarter Final round in January 2020

Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Castalian Quartet shortlisted at RPS Awards

Violinist Alina Ibragimova and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras also nominated for awards

Players of tomorrow: Shannon Lee

The 27-year-old Canadian violinist, 2nd prize winner at this year’s Sendai International Violin Competition, talks about ambition, motivation and her fear of wardrobe mishaps

Inaugural Stuttgart International Violin Competition announced for 2021

The first Stuttgart International Violin Competition takes place in February 2021, with a prize fund of €50,000

Finalists named at Spohr Competition for Young Violinists

The event’s 9th edition reaches the final stages across three age categories in Weimar, Germany

Simply Quartet crowned winners at Nielsen Competition

Ensemble based in Austria but with roots in Shanghai scoops top prize in Copenhagen

Semi-finalists named at Nielsen Chamber Music Competition

Event in Copenhagen puts five quartets through to second round taking place on Friday

Prizes awarded at 5th Karol Lipiński Violin Competition

Event in Toruń, Poland, hands out €50,000 in cash prizes

Cellist, violist and trio among the 2019 Concert Artists Guild winners

New York recital and management contract are part of package for winners of the Victor Elmaleh Competition

Trio finalists revealed in Trondheim

The three ensembles will compete in Friday’s final for a top prize of €15,000 plus concert engagements

Zhuhai Competition names winners across three age categories

Simon Zhu takes top prize in senior category of Chinese/Austrian event, winning $30,000

2nd round candidates announced at Zhuhai Competition

The Zhuhai International Mozart Competition has announced the violin category candidates progressing to its 2nd round

ARD competition names cello finalists

Three finalists named in Bavarian Radio competition which offers cash prizes and performance invitations

All-male cello semi-final at ARD competition in Munich

Six semi-finalists named in Bavarian Radio competition which offers cash prizes and numerous performance opportunities

Banff International Quartet Competition awards joint first prize

In an unprecedented move, the Banff International Quartet Competition has awarded its first prize to two quartets

Semi-finalists announced for Tibor Varga competition

The twelve violinists are competing for a top prize of CHF20,000 as part of the Sion Festival in Switzerland

Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition 2020 opens for applications

Jury including Maxim Vengerov announced for the $100k event taking place next year furing Stern’s centennial

Winner announced at Cooper Competition in Cleveland

American violinist Eric Charles Chen, 18, scoops $20,000 top prize

ARD competition invites 64 cellists to Munich for 2019 competition

The Bavarian Radio competition offers cash prizes and numerous performance opportunities

Six remain as Cooper Violin Competition enters final rounds

The violinists, aged 14 to 18, are competing for a first prize of $20,000 in Cleveland, Ohio

11-year-old Natsuho Murata plays Saint-Saëns and Wieniawski

Natsuho Murata, 11, from Japan, performs at the Concours musical international de Montréal’s ‘Mini Violini’ showcase in May this year.

13-year-old Australian wins Italian junior competition

Edward Walton takes first prize at Il Piccolo Violino Magico, with 11-year-old Slovak prodigy Teo Gertler coming in second

Il Piccolo Violino Magico - Live streaming

Live stream from the first round (second day) at Il Piccolo Violino Magico competition in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy.

Winners announced at Tchaikovsky Competition

Sergey Dogadin and Zlatomir Fung take the violin and cello crowns in Moscow and St Petersburg

Shannon Lee performs in the semi-final of the Sendai Competition

The Canadian violinist Shannon Lee is one of six musicians who will be competing in the final round of the Sendai International Violin Competition. Here she is in the semi-finals last Saturday, performing both as soloist and as concertmaster.

Sendai Violin Competition names 12 semi-finalists

The Japanese competition offers a $27,000 first prize plus a package of concerts and other benefits

Fischoff Chamber Music Competition announces winners

Gold Medals went to the Merz Trio in the Senior String Division and the Fervida Trio in the Junio String Division

Michael Hill International Violin Competition reaches finals

The New Zealand competition has announced the three who proceed to its concerto final in Auckland

Leopold Mozart Violin Competition reaches final three

The triennial Leopold Mozart Competition in Augsburg, Germany, has named the three finalists of its 10th edition, taking place in the 300th year since Leopold Mozart’s birth.

Updated competitor list for $100,000 Montreal Competition

Canadian event’s first round starts this evening with 24 candidates from around the world, with some new additions

Stella Chen gives winning performance at the Queen Elisabeth Competition

In this video Stella Chen gives her winning performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition.

Violin and cello winners at Vienna Classic Strings competition

Meruert Karmenova and Grace Sohn take first prizes over the weekend, joining viola winner Luosha Fang

Meet the candidates: Michael Hill International Violin Competition

Starting in two weeks, the New Zealand event with NZ$40,000 top prize has invited 16 violinists to its live rounds

Cello finalists announced at Markneukirchen

Three cellists will each play the Schumann concerto in the final for a share of €15,000 cash and other prizes

Markneukirchen Cello Competition reaches semi-finals

Seven young cellists will compete for a place in the final, a share of €15,000 cash and other prizes

Banff International String Quartet Competition names 10 competitors

Total prize pool worth $300,000 includes a two-year paid residency for the winning quartet and cash award

Paul Vincent Laraia wins Lionel Tertis Viola Competition

The American violist receives £7000, a new bow and a London recital at Wigmore Hall

Queen Elisabeth Competition announces starry jury panel

Midori, Vadim Repin, Jaime Laredo and Arabella Steinbacher among jurors for €25,000 top prize event in Brussels

Nielsen Competition: Finals live stream and more

Follow the violin finals live with our live stream from the Carl Nielsen International Competition courtesy of Medici.tv.

Three violin finalists announced at Nielsen Competition

Two-part final on Friday and Sunday will see all three play the Nielsen concerto plus another 19th- or 20th-century concerto of their choice

Play with Ray competition for Hollywood Bowl concert

Winner will Perform Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ray Chen

Queen Elisabeth Competition 2019 names its violin candidates

49 women and 22 men compete for the grand prize of 2019

German Musical Instrument Fund hands out 54 instruments in 2019 auditions

The fund has chosen 23 new recipients and renewed 31 loans for promising young musicians

Are competitions inherently problematic?

Charlotte Gardner checks recent Joseph Joachim Competition rumours against reality and cautions against letting young musicians get caught in the crossfire

Montreal Competition names 2019 violin candidates

Canadian competition offers top prize worth over CA$100k, combining cash, career development grant, instrument and engagements

All change at Joachim competition after founder steps down

Former winner Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille will take on joint artist directorship of Hanover-based competition for eleventh edition in 2021

Competitors announced for Max Rostal violin and viola competition

Berlin-based event runs parallel sections for the two instruments, with 17 violinists and 17 violists invited to the live rounds

Casals Foundation award given jointly for the first time

Two young cellists share €24,000 prize pot in competition held in El Vendrell, Catalonia, chaired by Marta Casals Istomin

Nicolas Altstaedt has won the Duisburg Music Prize

The cellist receives the prize in a ceremony later this month

VSA honours instrument and bow makers in biennial competition

Violin Society of America convention in Cleveland reveals winners in violin, viola, cello, bass, quartet and bow categories

Joint 1st Prize Awarded at Korea’s IsangYun Cello Competition

Both winners receive $27,000 and important debut opportunities

Timothy Chooi wins 2018 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition

The 24-year-old performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in the final round

Paulo Cello Competition names winner

US cellist Brannon Cho takes first place in Helsinki final with performance of Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante

Paulo Cello Competition enters second round

Quinquennial event taking place across three Finnish cities promotes nine young cellists for semi-finals

Postcard from Harbin, China: the Schoenfeld Competition

Competition jury member Karine Georgian notes Harbin’s long musical tradition and hails a competition with a healthy process – as well as worthy winners

Joseph Joachim Competition live stream

The preliminary rounds of the 10th edition of the triennial Joseph Joachim Violin Competition start on Saturday 13 October at 10am (German time). Bookmark this page to watch the live stream of the entire event.

Inaugural Szymanowski Competition announces winners

Polish violinist Sławomira Wilga won first place in the violin category, with the Eliot Quartet taking quartet prize

No first prize awarded at 2018 George Enescu International Violin Competition

Second prize goes to 18-year-old Italian violinist Vikram Sedona

Violin finalists announced at George Enescu International Violin Competition

Three finalists compete for the first prize of €15,000

Indianapolis '21st Century Violin Search' names two winning luthiers

Instruments by the winners will be bought by the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and loaned to the laureates of the 2018 contest

Estonian cellist Marcel Johannes Kits wins George Enescu International Cello Competition

The 23-year-old cellist wins €15,000 and an invitation to perform at the Enescu Festival

Finalists announced at International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

Six violinists have made it through to compete for performance opportunities and $30,000 top prize

Tiny margin separates top two in Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition

Judges’ scores released today reveal that just 1 point of a possible 1,300 gave US violinist Nancy Zhou the event’s $100,000 first prize last week

'My father hated competitions': David Stern at the Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition

David Stern, joint chair of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition – currently in its final round – tells The Strad about protecting his father’s legacy and enforcing ‘radical clarity’ on the jury

Kayhan Kalhor named recipient of 2018 Isaac Stern Human Spirit Award

The Iranian violinist shares the accolade with the Xiaoshuijing Miao Farmers Choir

$100,000 Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition enters semi-finals

Twelve young violinists remain in contention for the biggest prize pot available in any competition, whittled down from the 36 invited to the live rounds

The competition teaching China how to love chamber music

Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s chamber music competition aims to popularise the form for students, teachers and listeners alike, as Nancy Pellegrini discovers

Winners announced at 2018 Schoenfeld Competition

Lorenz Chen and Zlatomir Fung win top honours at the event in Harbin, China

Violinist wins ABC Young Performers Award 2018

Emily Sun adds Australia’s ABC Classic FM competition to an already impressive list of recent successes

Maria Włoszczowska wins 1st Prize in 2018 Bach Competition

26-year-old Polish violinist takes the top prize in the violin/Baroque violin category

Finalists announced in Leipzig Bach Competition

Violin and Baroque violin finalists competing for €10,000 top prize and concert engagements

Trio Marvin wins grand prize at Melbourne

Formed in 2016 and based in the Berlin, the group wins at total of AUD52,500. Goldmund Quartet tops string quartet category.

ARD announces viola and piano trio participants for 2018

Launched in 1952, the competition focuses each year on different instrumental categories, selected from 21 disciplines

Cellist Sebastian Fritsch wins Tonali 2018

The 21-year-old took home the first prize and audience prize in Hamburg competition with performance of Schumann concerto

Schoenfeld International String Competition announces candidate list

Competition based in Harbin, China, reveals names of violinists, cellists and chamber groups that have been invited to live rounds

Washington International String Competition names 2018 winners

Event dispenses total of $40,000 to young string players, with three joint winners on violin, viola and cello

Finalists revealed at Primrose International Viola Competition

Los Angeles competition which counts Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit and Jennifer Stumm among previous winners, enters final

Primrose viola competition enters semi-finals

Los Angeles competition which counts Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit and Jennifer Stumm among previous winners, enters final stretch

Haruka Nagao wins 13th Carl Flesch Competition

Japanese violinist, co-concertmaster of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, wins top prize in Flesch’s home town

Cello first rounds at Khachaturian International Competition

Event begins in Yerevan, Armenia, with 14 young cellists competing for $15,000 first prize and place alongside successful former winners

Indianapolis Violin Competition announces candidates

The tenth edition of the quadrennial competition publishes list of 40 young players vying for $30,000 top prize and numerous opportunities

Callisto Quartet wins Fischoff Chamber Music Competition

Cleveland Institute of Music student ensemble wins $13,500 gold medal plus a number of engagements

Pianist Lauren Zhang wins BBC Young Musician 2018

American born 16-year-old Royal Birmingham Conservatoire student impressed judges with performance of Prokofiev Concerto no.2

Winners named at $100,000 M-Prize Chamber Music Competition

New York based Aizuri Quartet takes grand prize at University of Michigan School of Music competition

11-year-old Chloe Chua plays Vivaldi's Winter at Menuhin Competition

In this video, filmed at the Menuhin Competition closing gala concert on 22 April, 11-year-old Chloe Chua, who shared the first prize of the Menuhin Competition Junior Division with 10-year-old Christian Li, performs Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Diana Adamyan's Menuhin Competition winning performance of the Bruch concerto

Diana Adamyan, who has been named the winner of the Menuhin Competition 2018 Senior Division, here performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto no.1 in the competition’s final.

Menuhin Competition, senior semi-finals

This is an archived live stream from the Menuhin Competition in Geneva. In this session of the junior seminals, the programme was:

Menuhin Competition junior semifinals

This is an archived live stream from the Menuhin Competition in Geneva. In this session of the junior seminals you can hear:

Esmé Quartet takes first place at Wigmore Hall competition

All-female Korean quartet based in Germany scoops £10,000 cash prize plus package of concerts and residencies

Menuhin Competition: Senior first round (2nd part)

This is the archived live stream from the 2nd part of the senior first round of the Menuhin Competition 2018 which took place on 17 April.

Anastasia Kobekina plays prelude from Bach Cello Suite no.6

Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina performs the prelude from Bach’s sixth cello suite. Kobekina is a Moscow Conservatory and Kronberg Academy graduate and currently studies with Jens Peter Maintz at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Candidates named for $100,000 Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition

Starting on 10 August this year, the 36 young violinists will be competing for the biggest prize pot available in any competition

Maxim Calver's performance in the BBC Young Musician strings category final

This video is Maxim Calver’s performance from the strings category final of BBC Young Musician 2018, featuring works by Lutoslawski, Brahms and Stravinsky.

Win a signed copy of Ray Chen's new CD

In the May 2018 issue of The Strad, Ray Chen talks about his feats, failures and the digital revolution that has turned him into a violinist of a new generation. ’I didn’t want to wait until I had an established career,’ he says. ‘I wanted to start inspiring the next ...

Seoul International Music Competition violin finalists announced

South Korean candidates dominate in competition with $50,000 first prize

Elli Choi plays Paganini Caprice no.4

American violinist Elli Choi, 16, who has recently been chosen to take on two performances of the Sibelius concerto from the indisposed David Garrett, in this video performs Paganini’s Caprice no.4.

Primrose viola competition reveals 24 candidates for 2018 edition

Competition taking place in Los Angeles in June 2018 counts Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit and Jennifer Stumm among previous winners

Quatuor Tchalik: Beethoven String Quartet no.8

The Quatuor Tchalik comprises the Tchalik siblings Gabriel, Louise (violin), Sarah (viola) and Marc (cello).

Lutosławski Cello Competition heads into finals

Now in its eleventh edition, the young cellists’ showcase in Poland will announce its winner this evening

Three finalists announced at Singapore Violin Competition

The grand final will take place on 8 February with each finalist performing a concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Q&A with Anastasia Kobekina, winner of the Prix Thierry Scherz

The 23-year-old Russian cellist has just won the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad’s invitation-only competition, the prize of which includes a recording with orchestra. She talks to Charlotte Gardner

Nancy Zhou plays the Sibelius Concerto at the Harbin Competition's gala concert

American violinist Nancy Zhou, who recently won first prize at the inaugural International Music Competition Harbin, China, here performs the Sibelius Violin Concerto at the winners’ gala concert.

Nancy Zhou wins $50,000 first prize at International Music Competition Harbin

American violinist, 25, adds the Chinese accolade to a number of recent competition successes

Menuhin Competition 2018 announces 44 successful candidates for live rounds

Over 90% of participants began playing the violin before the age of five and average age across junior and senior categories has dropped to 15 for the first time, with the youngest aged ten and oldest 21

Finalists announced at Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition

Birmingham Conservatoire based competition in second edition names five young violists competing in Friday’s final

Singapore International Violin Competition announces 2018 participants

Event returns for second edition with $100,000 total prize fund, of which half goes to the winner

European instrument and bow makers in 3/4-size benevolence

39 instruments and 41 bows now loaned to children aged 8 to 13 through second Con-takt Junior competition organised by Klanggestalten group

Scottish quartet wins jury and audience prizes in Trondheim

The ninth Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, running alongside the Chamber Music Festival in Trondheim, Norway, was won by the Scotland-based Maxwell Quartet

Menuhin Competition announces programme for 2018 event in Geneva

Taking place from 12 to 22 April 2018 the competition features 44 international entries as well as a festival of concerts and masterclasses

Zhuhai International Mozart Competition enters violin finals

Young musician competition has announced winners for two of three age groups

ARD Violin Competition awards no first prize – again

Munich event has many precedents of leaving the top spot empty, including at its last edition in 2013

'Teachers should never sit on juries if their students have entered those competitions,' says Aaron Rosand

String playing competitions are more popular than ever, but do they represent the best platform for launching careers? Charlotte Smith asks jurors, winners and organisers for their views

Violinist Ayana Tsuji gives winning Sibelius performance at Montreal Music Competition

18-year-old Japanese violinist Ayana Tsuji gives her winning performance of Sibelius's Violin Concerto at the 2016 Montreal International Music Competition with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

13-year-old violinist Eduard Kollert performs Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen

13-year-old violinist Eduard Kollert, who yesterday won the Junior first prize at the 2016 Novosibirsk International Violin Competition in Russia, performs Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen at the International ‘Nutcracker’ Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow in 2015.

Postcard from the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition

It wasn’t just the first prize that was split at the Nielsen Competition in Odense on Friday, writes Andrew Mellor, it was also the jury – but isn’t that the point?

12-year-old Yesong Sophie Lee gives 2016 Menuhin Competition winning performance

12-year-old Yesong Sophie Lee gives her winning performance in the 2016 Menuhin Competition Junior Finals at London's Royal Academy of Music.

Yesong Sophie Lee performs at Menuhin Competition 2016

12-year-old violinist Yesong Sophie Lee performs in the 2016 Menuhin Competition Junior Semi-Finals.

12-year-old Yeyeong Jin performs at Menuhin Competition 2016

12-year-old violinist Yeyeong Jin performs in the 2016 Menuhin Competition Junior Semi-Finals.

Crash course: are there benefits when things go wrong in a competition?

There was drama at the inaugural Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition this week, in everything but the string result, writes Andrew Mellor

Amalia Hall performs at the 2015 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover

New Zealand violinist Amalia Hall, one of six finalists currently taking part in the 2015 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover, performs Mozart's Fifth Concerto in the semi final.

How to prepare for a competition, by Queen Elisabeth winning violinist Ji Young Lim

The violinist won the competition in Brussels in May 2015, receiving €25,000, concert performances and the loan of the ‘Huggins’ Stradivarius for four years.

Listening to my idols makes me a better violinist, says Alexandra Conunova

Listening to recordings is a valuable part of practice, the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition finalist tells Pauline Harding

Why no Gold Medal violinist at this year’s Tchaikovsky Competition?

For those witnessing the violin finals, the results of the 2015 competition were an anti-climax. But, writes Charlotte Smith, perhaps they were inevitable.

Tchaikovsky Competition 2015: violinist Yu-Chien Tseng performs in the final

Tchaikovsky Competition 2015: Alexandra Conunova performs Kreisler

Violinist Alexandra Conunova, winner of the 2012 International Josef Joachim Violin Competition in Hannover, performs Kreisler's Gypsy capriccio at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, which is currently underway. Conunova is one of six violin finalists competing for the top prize this week.

Tchaikovsky Competition 2015: violinist Yu-Chien Tseng performs Valse-Scherzo

Violinist Yu-Chien 'Benny' Tseng, winner of this year's inaugural Singapore International Violin Competition, performs Tchaikovsky's Valse-Scherzo at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, which is currently underway. The names of those violin and cello candidates progressing to the final will be revealed this evening.

Violinist Ray Chen performs Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata no.6

Violinist Ray Chen performs Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata no.6 at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium in 2009 - which he later won.

Leia Zhu, aged 8, gives winning performance of Wieniawski's Second Violin Concerto

British violinist Leia Zhu, aged 8, has been named the youngest ever winner of the International Competition ‘Young Virtuosos’ in Sophia, Bulgaria. The competition's 2015 edition included violin, viola, cello and percussion categories, each divided into four age groups.

Alexandra Conunova performs at Singapore International Violin Competition

Alexandra Conunova performs Beethoven's Violin Sonata no.8, Poulenc's Violin Sonata, Koh's kilo and Wieniawski's Faust Fantasy at the Singapore International Violin Competition 2015 Semi-Finals.

What I look for in a competition winner, by violinist Pierre Amoyal

The Singapore International Violin Competition jury member gives an insight into his decision-making process

Jinjoo Cho performs Saint-Saëns's Introduction et rondo capriccioso

Jinjoo Cho, winner of the 2014 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, performs Saint-Saëns's Introduction et rondo capriccioso, op.28 in 2010.

Fédor Roudine performs Waxman's Carmen Fantasie

Fédor Roudine, who has recently won the Henri Marteau Violin Competition in Germany, performs Waxman's Carmen Fantasie with pianist Paula Peluso at the Second International Violin Competition in Buenos Aires.

What competition success did for my career – by six prize-winners

Seasoned competition goer Heather Kurzbauer considers the place of competitions today, and violin laureates discuss how their wins have helped their careers

What happened at the 2013 China International Violin and Bow Making Competition

With an array of experts in attendance, Beijing's international violin and bow making competition was an engrossing affair. Nancy Pellegrini hears a range of views on the industry, and China's growing position within it