Competitions, Awards and Appointments: April 2023

Competition results

The Arete Quartet has been awarded first prize and €20,000 at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, Austria. Formed in 2019, the South Korean quartet comprises violinists Chaeann Jeon, 25, and Dayoon You, 21, violist Yoonsun Jang, 27, and cellist Seonghyeon Park, 29. They are studying at Munich’s University of Music and Performing Arts. Second place and €12,000 went to the Affinity Quartet, who also received the €1,000 prize for best interpretation of a contemporary work. Third place and €8,000 went to the Eden Quartet.

French cellist Léo Ispir, 21, has won the Grand Prize and CZK30,000 (£1,100) at the online Gustav Mahler International Cello Competition. Ispir currently studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris. Czech cellist Jan Petrov, 16, won the Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava prize and concert engagements with the orchestra. He also won the prize for best Czech competitor…