Chinese violist Xunyu Zhou received CZK50,000 (£1,800) alongside a fine bow, viola case, strings and rosin
The finals of the 7th Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition took place at the Prague Conservatoire on 26 October. The 2025 edition’s four finalists performed concertos by either Carl Stamitz or Franz Anton Hoffmeister, accompanied by the ensemble Barocco sempre giovane.
Chinese violinist Xunyu Zhou (b.2007) took home the CZK50,000 (£1,800) first prize, as well as a fine viola bow by Luboš Odlas, a Gewa viola case, three sets of Pirastro Perpetual strings and an Evah Pirazzi Pirastro rosin.
Second prize was given to Sara Furuichi (b.2000) from Japan, who received a CZK30,000 (£1,075) cash prize. US–South Korean violist Ella Eunsuh Park (b.2008) was awarded the CZK20,000 (£720) third prize and the audition prize. Both second and third prize winners also received a Gewa viola case and Pirastro strings and rosin. The fourth finalist, Julie Svačinová (b.2001) from Finland, won a laureate diploma.
The prize for the best interpretation for a work by Oskar Nedbal was awarded to Polish violist Julia Wawrowska, the prize for the best interpretation of a Martinů piece was given to US–Japanese violist Ayano Nakamura, and the Pirastro prize for an outstanding young talent went to Diego Ignacio Alvarado Sánchez from Venezuela.
Zhou is currently studying a bachelor’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt with Tabea Zimmermann. She previously studied with Liu Nian at the Affiliated Middle School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music from 2017 to 2024.
In January 2025 she won first prize at the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition and in March 2025 came second at the Johansen International String Competition in Washington, US. Other competition success includes the grand prizes at both the 2020 ‘Montelosa Cavai Award’ Valcecia International Youth Music Competition and the 2022 ‘Giuseppe Raciti’ International String Competition.
She has been a participant of the Kronberg Viola Masterclasses and has performed with the Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Philharmonic Hall. Since 2022, she has been admitted to the Morningside Music Bridge festival for three consecutive years.
The 2025 jury was chaired by Garth Knox (Ireland) and comprised competition founder and artistic director Kristina Fialová (Czech Republic), Lena Eckels (Germany), Asbjørn Nørgaard (Denmark) and Jan Pěruška (Czech Republic).
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