Dutch violinist Hawijch Elders receives €30,000, artistic management and an album recording opportunity
The finals of the 2nd Antonio Mormone International Prize took place from 17–22 June in Milan, Italy. The three finalists each performed a solo recital, a chamber recital, a sonata on a historical instrument and a concerto. The last performance took place at Teatro alla Scala, where they performed their concertos accompanied by the Orchestra Accademia del Teatro alla Scala and conducted by Massimo Zanetti.
The prize was awarded to Dutch violinist Hawijch Elders (b.1998), who played Paganini’s Concerto no.1 for the final performance. She receives a €30,000 cash prize, a recording of an album with Universal, plus three years of artistic management coordinated by the Fondazione La Società dei Concerti, with engagements in Italy and abroad.
The two runners up, Elli Choi (b.2001) and Anna Im (b.1997), each received €5,000. Choi additionally won the audience prize, receiving the opportunity to perform in a concert hosted by the Friends of the Antonio Mormone International Prize Club, and Im the young jury’s award. Elders also received the prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Sonatina V by Fabio Vacchi.
Elders is a laureate of the 2023 Paganini Competition in Genoa. She is currently an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, where she studies with Augustin Dumay. She has played in venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Bozar in Brussels, and with orchestras including the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra and Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra.
The competition is held every four years – alternating between violin and piano – and was created in honour of Antonio Mormone, the founder of La Società dei Concerti di Milano. ‘Among the main intentions of Antonio Mormone’s contribution to classical music there was not only a more informative approach in the creation of his concert series but a perennial attentive look at young people,’ said Enrica Ciccarelli Mormone, presdident of the Fondazione Società dei Concerti. ‘His intuition in uncovering the personalities who would become stars of world concert music allowed him to play a fundamental role on the international scene. This Award is intended to be the continuation of his work.’
This year’s jury comprised Anna Tifu, Michail Stille, Silvia Marcovici, Ning Feng, Nazzareno Carusi and Mark Gothoni, with artistic director Edoardo Zosi as president of the jury.
Read: WATCH: Antonio Mormone International Prize finals – day four
Read: WATCH: Antonio Mormone International Prize finals - day three
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