Photo courtesy of contest organisers
Violinist Soyoung Yoon from Korea has won the fourteenth edition of the prestigious competition
Young virtuosos of a new generation took part in this year's event, vying for the Gold Medal from the Henryk Wieniawski Society and 30,000 Euros.
What unites these artists, however, is music, and, as always, the urge to challenge their peers’ talents, technical skills and artistic imagination.
Second and third prizes were awarded, respectively, to Miki Kobayashi from Japan (20,000 Euros and the silver medal) and Stefan Tarara from Germany (12,000 Euros and the bronze medal). Three honourable mentions were given to: Aylen Pritchin (Russia), Erzhan Kulibaev (Kazakhstan) and Arata Yumi (Japan). There were 46 violinists from 16 countries competing in this year's edition.
First-place winner Soyoung Yoon thanked the jury for their verdict, which was chaired by Maxim Vengerov and said it was "the most important award in her life".
The International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition is a founder-member of the Committee of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.
This year fifty-three candidates representing twenty one countries of Europe, Asia, Australia and both Americas will take part in the Poznań event.
Agata Szymczewska, winner of the Competition in 2006, partner to Krystian Zimerman in Grażyna Bacewicz’ Quintets recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, as well as two-time winner of the "Fryderyk" Prize, is going to open the 14th edition of Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. She will play the Violin Concerto No. 2 Op. 61 by Karol Szymanowski; the soloist will be accompanied by the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pablo Gonzales who is associated with the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra. Furthermore, the concert will feature such masterpieces, as Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune by Claude Debussy, and Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 64 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
Venue: University Auditorium, 7.00 p.m., Saturday, 8 October
Programme
Follow the online coverage of the Competition auditions
Organiser: Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society in Poznań
http://www.wieniawski.pl
This event is part of Attention Culture!, the Cultural Programme of the 2011 Polish EU Presidency.