Japanese violinist Rei Wakabayashi receives the €1,250 second prize
The final round of the 36th Henry Vieuxtemps Violin Competition took place on 5 October at the Théâtre du Peigné in Verviers, Belgium. It presented by the Association des Prix Artistiques de la Ville de Verviers. Four finalists competed, but ultimately the €2,500 first prize was not awarded.
The second prize of €1,250 was won by Japanese violinist Rei Wakabayashi, while the audience prize of €500 went to Japanese violinist Mahiro Kurasawa. The other finalists were French violinists Clément Nazet and Daniel Neuburger.
Wakabayashi studied at the Toho Gakuen Music High School and College Music Department, and completed her master’s at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels in 2024. Her teachers have included Philippe Graffin, Isako Shinozaki, and Yuzuko Horigome. Other competition successes include first prizes at the Sakura Pia Rookie and Beten Music competitions, the Yamaha Prize at the 2020 Hiroshima Summer Concert, 5th place at the 2022 Yokohama International Violin Competition, and a special prize at the 2021 Japan Player’s Competition.
The jury for this year’s Henry Vieuxtemps Violin Competition comprised Philippe Koch, Kati Sebestyen, Yuzuko Horigome, Yossif Ivanov, and Hrachya Avanesyan. Previous winners of the competition include Arthur Grumiaux, Henri-Emmanuel Koch, Vilmos Csikos, and most recently Leonid Anikin in 2023.
No comments yet