The US violinist performed Bartók’s Violin Concerto no.2 in the final round
London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama has announced that US violinist Caroline Durham has won this year’s Music Gold Medal, the school’s most prestigious music prize. It is awarded to instrumentalists and singers in alternate years.
Alongside Durham, finalists pianist Milen Earath and violinist Cyrus Yuen performed a concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican on 30 April under the baton of Jonathan Bloxham. Durham performed Bartók’s Violin Concerto no.2.
The violinist said about winning the award:
’I was really surprised and honoured to have won, because all of the finalists were amazing. I wanted to thank the conductor, Jonathan Bloxham. He made it really easy to work through a difficult piece, and was a pleasure to work with, and the orchestra was amazing. And I also want to thank my teacher and my family as well. Thank you.’
Durham is a graduate of both Columbia University and the Yale School of Music, where she earned her master’s degree studying with Tai Murray. She currently studies at the Guildhall School under David Takeno. She has also been mentored by Masao Kawasaki and Laurie Smukler at the Juilliard School.
The violinist’s studies are supported by the Leverhulme Arts Scholarship and during her time at Guildhall she has won the Max and Peggy Morgan Violin Award and become a 2026 London Symphony Orchestra String Experience Fellow.
This year’s panel of judges comprised Errollyn Wallen CBE, Aimee Chow, Bill Chandler and Armin Zanner.
The award was founded and endowed by Sir H. Dixon Kimber in 1915. Other notable string winners include Jacqueline du Pré OBE (1960) and Anna-Liisa Bezrodny (2006). In 2024, Strahinja Mitrović became the first double bassist to win the award.
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