Singapore International Violin Competition 2026 - Souvenir Booklet by Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music

24 Jan 2026 (Sat)

10:00 – Opening Ceremony 10:15 – Balloting

25 Jan 2026 (Sun)

Session 1, Day 1

13:00 – 14:45

15:00 – 16:45

17:00 – 19:20

26 Jan 2026 (Mon)

Session 1, Day 2

13:00 – 14:45

15:00 – 16:45

17:00 – 19:20

27 Jan 2026 (Tue)

Session 1, Day 3

13:00 – 14:45 15:00 – 16:45 17:00 – 19:20

28 Jan 2026 (Wed)

Session 2, Day 1

13:00 – 15:00

15:15 – 17:15 17:30 – 20:10

29 Jan 2026 (Thu)

Session 2, Day 2

13:00 – 15:00 15:15 – 17:15 17:30 – 20:10

30 Jan 2026 (Fri)

Session 2, Day 3

13:00 – 15:00 15:15 – 17:15 17:30 – 20:10

1 Feb 2026 (Sun)

10:00 – 12:00

13:30 – 15:30 15:45 – 17:45

2 Feb 2026 (Mon)

10:00 – 12:00

13:30 – 15:30 15:45 – 17:45 4 Feb 2026 (Wed) 19:30 5 Feb 2026 (Thu) 19:30

CONCERT HALL

7 Feb 2026 (Sat) 17:00

THE RIN COLLECTION Guarneri ‘del Gesu’ 1730

WELCOMING THE 2026 VIOLIN COMPETITORS TO SINGAPORE

MESSAGE FROM PROF PETER TORNQUIST DEAN

YONG SIEW TOH CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, is proud to organise and host the Singapore International Violin Competition—a landmark event that continues to afﬁrm Singapore’s place within the global classical music landscape. Since its inception, SIVC has been a compelling showcase of violin virtuosity, and we are conﬁdent that the 2026 edition will once again inspire performers, audiences and the wider musical community.

Over the years, the Competition has grown into more than a series of performances. From the live competition rounds to community engagement initiatives, educational outreach and digital platforms, SIVC serves as a vibrant meeting point for artistic excellence, cultural exchange and shared musical experience. We are especially excited to spotlight the next generation of outstanding international violinists and to support the creative dialogues that emerge through music-making at the highest level.

We are equally grateful for the continued collaboration and commitment of SIVC’s partners and supporters. Their dedication has been instrumental in shaping the Competition into a distinctive platform with strong roots in Singapore and a far-reaching global presence.

As we welcome the 2026 Competition, we look forward to the remarkable artistry, fresh perspectives and musical resonances that this edition will bring.

WELCOME MESSAGE

A PODIUM FOR THE WORLD’S BEST EMERGING VIOLINISTS

MESSAGE FROM PROF QIAN ZHOU

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CHAIR

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 Singapore International Violin Competition.

SIVC is conceived as an international platform supporting outstanding young violinists at a decisive stage of their artistic development. Each edition brings together emerging artists from around the world, guided by an international jury and presented on Singapore’s major concert stages.

At the core of the Competition is a clear commitment to long-term artistic growth. Prize awards and ﬁnancial support are structured as one integrated system, complemented by three-year instrument loans for six prize winners. These measures are designed to provide stability, time and continuity—elements that are essential for young artists as they move from potential toward a sustainable professional life.

Beyond results, SIVC places strong emphasis on artistic exchange, learning and engagement with audiences and the wider community. The Competition aims to create an environment in which individual voices can develop naturally and music can be shared with clarity and depth.

I am grateful to our partners, supporters, jury members, guest artists, pianists and the many colleagues working behind the scenes. Their commitment makes it possible for the Competition to grow with focus and integrity.

I warmly invite you to join us in listening to these young artists and in supporting them as they take the next steps in their artistic journey.

THE COMPETITION

The triennial Singapore International Violin Competition was launched in June 2014 as a landmark cultural initiative for Singapore and beyond, and has since grown to become one of the most globally distinctive of its kind. The competition serves to promote the continued growth and strength of classical music, as well as to provide a showcase for violinists from around the world against the backdrop of Singapore’s world-class performance venues, its national orchestra, and its internationally renowned music conservatory.

OUR LAUREATES

YEAR

1st Prize

2nd Prize

3rd Prize

4th Prize

5th Prize

6th Prize

2015

Benny Tseng Yu-Chien

Richard Lin

Sirena Huang

Alexandra Conunova

Lim Hyun Jae

Fedor Rudin

2018

Sergei Dogadin

Chisa Kitagawa

Oleksandr Korniev

Laurel Gagnon

Lisa Yasuda

Xiaoxuan Shi

Dmytro Udovychenko

Anna Agaﬁa Egholm

Angela Sin Ying Chan

Nathan Meltzer

Tianyou Ma

Yiying Jiang

PRIZES

Over USD 110,000 in prizes will be awarded, along with concert engagements, and 3-year ﬁne violin loans from the Rin Collection for the Top 6 winners.

OFFICIAL PRIZES

FIRST PRIZE

SECOND PRIZE

THIRD PRIZE

FOURTH PRIZE

FIFTH PRIZE

SIXTH PRIZE

USD 50,000

USD 25,000

USD 15,000

USD 6,000

USD 5,000

USD 4,000

3-YEAR FINE VIOLIN LOANS FROM THE RIN COLLECTION

1680

Stradivari, Antonio “Ex-D’Annunzio-Baccara”

Tononi, Carlo

Montagnana, Domenico

Guadagnini, Joannes Bapista

Storioni, Lorenzo

Pressenda, Francesco

SPECIAL PRIZES

Goh Soon Tioe Violin and Piano Recital Prize

Chamber Music Prize Supported by Ms Vivien Goh

Best Performer of Commissioned Work Supported by Kris Foundation

Best Performance of Bach

Best Performance of Ysaÿe

CONCERT OPPORTUNITIES

Performance Partners: Macao Orchestra

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

USD 5,000

USD 3,000

USD 1,000

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

SCORING PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS

Proceeding to the Semi-Finals and Finals:

Each Juror awards a “Yes”, “Maybe”, or “No” vote along with a score of 1 to 10 for each candidate. Candidates with the highest number of “Yes” votes exceeding 50% of the total number of votes proceed to the next round. “Maybe” votes and scores will be considered in case of a tie.

Proceeding to the Grand Finals:

Each Juror ranks the candidates from 1 to 6. The top three candidates overall will proceed to the Grand Finals. The remaining three candidates will be awarded the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Prizes according to their overall ranking at the Finals.

Grand Finals:

Each Juror ranks the candidates from 1 to 3. A First Prize will only be awarded if a majority vote can be agreed by the jury.

The Singapore International Violin Competition has set aside strict rules to which the Jury must abide. The following are some important features:

• Shortlisting of First Round candidates was done via blind-listening by an international panel.

• During the first Juror’s meeting, all Jurors are to declare their conflicts of interest in terms of connections with any candidate(s). A Juror’s votes or scores will be discounted when a conflict occurs.

• A Juror may not disclose or discuss any candidates’ performance during the competition.

• A Juror may not disclose or discuss their votes or scores with anyone.

• The Jury will judge with the intention to award all listed prizes, but all prizes are not necessarily awarded.

• The Chair of the Jury has the ﬁnal decision vote in case of a tie.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

FIRST ROUNDS

The First Rounds consists of two sessions, both of which must be fulﬁlled.

Session 1 (Up to 35 min)

Candidates are required to play the following – A and B:

(A) One complete sonata for solo violin by J.S. BACH:

Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV1001

Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV1003

Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV1005

(B) One complete sonata for solo violin by E. YSAŸE from Op. 27

Session 2 (Up to 40 min)

Candidates are required to play the following – A, B, and C:

(A) One complete sonata by W.A. MOZART, L. VAN BEETHOVEN (except Sonata No. 9), or F. SCHUBERT (except Fantasie)

(B) One original work by F. KREISLER for violin and piano or solo violin

SEMI FINALS

A recital programme of up to 60 minutes in total performance time. The recital must include the following A, B, and C:

(A) One complete sonata from the following list:

B. BARTÓK

Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117

J. BRAHMS

Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78

Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100

Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108

J. CORIGLIANO

Sonata

C. DEBUSSY

Sonata in G minor, L. 140

G. FAURÉ

Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13

C. FRANCK

Sonata in A major

L. JANÁCEK

Sonata

W. LUTOSLAWSKI

Partita

F. POULENC

Sonata, FP. 119

S. PROKOFIEV

Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80

Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a

M. RAVEL

Sonata in G major

C. SAINT-SAËNS

Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75

R. SCHUMANN

Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121

R. STRAUSS

Sonata in E-ﬂat major, Op. 18

I. STRAVINSKY

Divertimento

(B) SIVC 2026 Commissioned Work: DAVID LOKE

Soliloquy (6’)

Supported by Kris Foundation

The commissioned work will be sent to candidates at least 2 months before the competition

FINALS

One complete string quartet by F. J. HAYDN, together with the Shanghai Quartet:

String Quartet, Op. 77, No. 1 in G major

String Quartet, Op. 77, No. 2 in F major

GRAND FINALS

One complete concerto from the following list, together with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

B. BARTOK

Violin Concerto No. 2

L. VAN BEETHOVEN

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

J. BRAHMS

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77

F. MENDELSSOHN

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

N. PAGANINI

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6

S. PROKOFIEV

Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63

D. SHOSTAKOVICH

Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77

J. SIBELIUS

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

THE RIN COLLECTION Stradivari, Antonio 1706

2026 JURY

QIAN ZHOU

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CHAIR

Chinese-born American violinist Qian Zhou is recognized internationally as a world-class violinist, recording artist, and teacher. After winning the First Grand Prize and all ﬁve major prizes at the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition in 1987, her career took off with extensive performances throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa as soloist with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, BBC Symphony, Radio France Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, and the Russian Philharmonic. Critics have described her performances as those of “a signiﬁcant world-class artist” and “an inspired force, accompanied by technical polish, communicative capacity, and an expressive candor that was absolutely enchanting.”

Her ten recordings on the Naxos, Hugo, and Hungaroton labels span a wide range of repertoire from Bach to Bartók, earning praise of the highest calibre.

Zhou is the founding Head of Strings at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, where her past students hold active positions in the profession, performing and teaching throughout the world. She also serves as Chair of the Artist Committee and Jury of the Singapore International Violin Competition, and as Artistic Director of the Singapore Violin Festival.

A Thomastik-Infeld Artist Qian Zhou plays a 1757 J.B. Guadagnini generously loaned by the late Mr. and Mrs. Rin Kei Mei.

SHMUEL ASHKENASI

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Shmuel Ashkenasi attended the Musical Academy of Tel Aviv and gave his ﬁrst public performance at the age of eight. After studying with Ilona Feher, he came to the United States to study with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music.

He won the Merriweather Post Competition, was a ﬁnalist in Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth competition, and received second prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1969, he formed the famed Vermeer Quartet and remained its ﬁrst violinist throughout the quartet’s 39-year career, gaining a reputation as one of the world’s outstanding chamber musicians.

Mr. Ashkenasi has toured the former Soviet Union twice and concertized extensively in Europe, Israel, the Far East, and the United States; and he has collaborated with Rudolf Serkin, Thomas Hampson, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, and Menahem Pressler. He has performed as soloist with many leading orchestras, including those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Moscow, and Tokyo.

Ashkenasi is also a noted pedagogue, previously teaching at Northern Illinois University, Roosevelt University, Rutgers University, and Luebeck Hochschule, and is currently a Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Bard College.

AUGUSTIN DUMAY

French violinist Augustin Dumay ﬁrst came to international attention in 1980, after Herbert von Karajan invited him to play as a soloist with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Since then, he has gone on to perform with Europe’s best orchestras – Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, London Symphony, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Tonhalle Zürich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Mahler Chamber, Camerata Salzburg – and with the Orpheus Chamber, New Japan Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Andrew Davis, David Zinman, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Sanderling, Iván Fischer, Yu Long, as well as with the leading conductors of the new generation such as Daniel Harding, Alan Gilbert, Robin Ticciati and Maxim Emelyanychev.

He is also highly active as a conductor all over the world, Laureate Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Osaka. Master in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, he teaches highly talented young violinists.

He has recorded over 40 CDs for Warner, Deutsche Grammophon and Onyx, winning numerous awards. He plays a 1743 Guarnerius del Gesù once owned by Leonid Kogan.

KOICHIRO HARADA

Born in 1945, Koichiro Harada studied violin, chamber music and conducting at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music under Hideo Saito, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Dorothy Delay and Ivan Galamian In 1969, Mr. Harada founded the renowned Tokyo String Quartet in which he played ﬁrst violin for 12 years, and shortly they won the Munich International Competition. His chamber music engagements led him to prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Highly acclaimed for his talent, technique and musicality, he later began teaching overseas at major music learning centers including the Cleveland Conservatory and Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Harada returned to Tokyo in 1983 and has since formed several other notable chamber music ensembles among them NADA and Mito Quartet. He has performed at numerous music festivals, among them, Aspen Music Festival, Nagano-Aspen Music Festival, the Ishikawa Music Academy and Kurashiki Music Festival.

In addition to his concert activities, Mr. Harada is a Professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and has been invited as a jury member to many international competitions: Concours Music International Reine Elisabeth de Belgique, International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Concorso Internazionale Di Violino “Premio N. Paganini”, Concours International de Violin “Henryk Wieniawski”. In 2005, he was president of the jury of the Concours International Long-Thibaut.

In addition to serving as a professor at Indiana University and the Ecole Normale Conservatoire in Paris, Mr. Harada holds violin master classes at the Vienna State University of Music, the Hanover National University of Music, the London Royal Academy, the Korean National University of Arts, and others. He is currently specially appointed professor at Toho Gakuen University, Tokyo College of Music, and music director of Ishikawa Music Academy. He also teaches as a faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.

IDA KAVAFIAN

Internationally acclaimed as a violist as well as a violinist, the versatile Ida Kavaﬁan is an artist-member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio. For 34 years she has been artistic director of Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, where some 200 Curtis students have participated in the Young Artist Program to date. She was a founder of the Bravo! Colorado festival, serving as its artistic director for ten years; and co-founded the chamber ensembles Opus One, Tashi, and Trio Valtorna. She also performs as a soloist and in recital with her sister, violinist Ani Kavaﬁan.

Ms. Kavaﬁan has premiered numerous works, including concertos by Toru Takemitsu and Michael Daugherty, whose Fire and Blood she recorded with the Detroit Symphony. She has toured and recorded with jazz artists Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, and with ﬁddler/composer Mark O’Connor.

Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Ms. Kavaﬁan is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. She made her debut through Young Concert Artists with the pianist Peter Serkin, and also received the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. She resides with her husband, violist Steven Tenenbom, in Philadelphia and Connecticut, where they breed and train prizewinning Hungarian vizsla show dogs.

Since 1998 Ms. Kavaﬁan has served on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received the 2013 Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. She also teaches at the Juilliard School and the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

BARNABÁS KELEMEN

With a repertoire that spans from classical to contemporary music, Hungarian violinist Barnabás Kelemen has performed the Hungarian premieres of the Ligeti and Schnittke Violin Concertos as well as the Hungarian premiere and world premiere of violin works by Gubaidulina and Kurtag respectively.

In addition to appearances with all the major orchestras in Hungary, Barnabás Kelemen has collaborated with the Royal Liverpool, Helsinki, Munich, and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as Mozarteum Salzburg, Belgian National Orchestra, Lahti Symphony and Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin. He has performed with such esteemed conductors as Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Marek Janowski, Peter Eötvös, Robert Spano, Zoltán Kocsis and Ivan Fischer. As a chamber musician he has performed with Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi and Shai Wosner amongst others, with recitals in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall and Carnegie Hall. Since 2009 he also performs as part of the Kelemen Quartet.

His recent debuts include the London Philharmonic under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski, and performances with orchestras such as Malaysian Philharmonic with Christian Arming, Hong Kong Philharmonic with Masaaki Suzuki, Netherlands Philharmonic with Claus Peter Flohr, Helsinki Philharmonic with Dmitri Solbodeniouk and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under their chief conductor Krzstysztof Urbanski. Barnabás Kelemen has occupied the position of Artist in Residence at the Musis Sacrum in Arnhem (The Netherlands) for the 2010-11 season.

He performs on a Guarneri del Gesú violin of 1742 (ex Dénes Kovács), generously on loan from the State of Hungary.

ITZHAK RASHKOVSKY

Itzhak Rashkovsky, the internationally renowned Ukrainian-Israeli violinist and pedagogue, is Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music, London, and one of today’s most sought-after teachers. His students, drawn from across the globe, are frequent prize-winners at leading international competitions. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses at distinguished institutions such as the Juilliard School, Shanghai Conservatory, Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, Singapore Conservatory, and Moscow Conservatory.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Rashkovsky has performed worldwide in major venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. He has served on jury panels for the Henryk Wieniawski (Poland), Sion Valais (Switzerland), Joseph Joachim (Germany), Lipizer (Italy), and Yampolsky (Russia) international competitions, among others.

Itzhak Rashkovsky is one of the founders and Music Director of Keshet Eilon Violin Mastercourse, Israel, an international summer programme for exceptionally talented young string players, located in Kibbutz Eilon, as well as the founder and Artistic Director of the Music Masters, London. His articles and editions of violin pieces have been published by The Strad magazine.

He studied with Professor Yair Kless at the Samuel Rubin Israeli Academy of Music, Tel Aviv, where he earned his Master’s Degree. In recognition of his outstanding services to music, Rashkovsky was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music by HRH The Prince of Wales (1998) and a Fellowship of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (2018), where he also served as Ian Stoutzker International Chair in Violin. In 2025, he was the recipient of the Chaim Taub Award, honouring his decades of exceptional contribution to music and culture.

PAUL ROCZEK

Paul Roczek (b. 1947, Vienna) studied violin with Franz Samohyl and Max Rostal and drew further inspiration from Sándor Végh and Ivry Gitlis. He began his performing career as a teenager with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Soloists. After winning several international competitions, he focused on chamber music, serving for 30 years as ﬁrst violinist of the Austrian String Quartet and the Webern String Trio, performing alongside musicians such as Végh, Gitlis, Julius Berger, Leister, Rampal, and the Kontarsky brothers.

Since 1969, Roczek has taught violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where he holds a professorship in violin and quartet in residence. He has served as department head, institute director, deputy rector, and artistic director of the International Summer Academy, and continues to shape the next generation of musicians through the Mozarteum Pre-College program. His students include award-winning violinists such as Ziyu He, who became the youngest soloist ever invited to perform with the Vienna Philharmonic, and Clara Shen, both winners of the Menuhin Competition.

Roczek is a highly sought-after pedagogue and regularly serves on juries for major international competitions, including the Fritz Kreisler, Louis Spohr, Georg Kulenkampff, and Mozart competitions. He has given master classes at leading conservatories and universities worldwide, including the Guildhall School of Music, Moscow Conservatory, Toho Gakuen School, Shanghai Conservatory, Bowdoin, Indiana University, Temple University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Michigan, as well as summer academies such as the Menuhin Academy, Keshet Eilon, and Mozarteum Summer Academy.

As a performer, Roczek continues to collaborate with colleagues across Europe, the US, and Asia, including regular appearances with cellists Julius Berger and André Emelianoff. He also plays an active role in fostering young talent internationally, advising competitions such as the Polar Prize Concours in Gothenburg and leading Austria’s federal advisory board for youth music competitions (prima la musica).

PAVEL VERNIKOV

Pavel Vernikov, a student of David Oistrakh and Semyon Snitkovsky, established his reputation as a virtuoso violinist more than two decades ago. Among his major distinctions are prizes at the International ARD Violin Competition in Munich and the Grand Prix at the International Violin Competition Vittorio Gui in Florence. He has appeared at leading venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Salle Gaveau in Paris, La Scala in Milan, and Santa Cecilia in Rome.

For over 30 years, Vernikov has been a member of the Tchaikovsky Trio. His artistic collaborators have included Sviatoslav Richter, James Galway, Alain Meunier, Patrick Gallois, Maria Tipo, Natalia Gutman, Oleg Kagan, Yuri Bashmet, Elisso Virsaladze, Christian Zimmermann, and Anthony Pay. He inaugurated the Russian Academy of Higher Learning in Portogruaro and has served as Artistic Director of the Gubbio Music Festival, the Dubrovnik Chamber Music Festival, and the Eilat Chamber Music Festival.

Vernikov is active worldwide as a teacher and pedagogue, giving masterclasses across Europe, Israel, and Asia, including at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid and the Kronberg Academy. He is regularly invited to serve on juries of major international competitions, including the Szigeti, Kreisler, Vittorio Gui, ARD Munich, Sendai, Budapest, Sarasate, and Wieniawski competitions.

Since 2013, Vernikov has served as Artistic Director of the Sion Festival in Switzerland. In 2023, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Classical Violin Olympus International Competition, with its inaugural edition to be held in 2025 in Dubai.

Pavel Vernikov performs on a 1757 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin.

LINA YU

The accomplished Chinese violinist Lina Yu gained instant acclaim when, at the age of 18, she premiered the “Butterﬂy Lovers” Violin Concerto. Since then she has recorded this concerto many times with orchestras such as the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Russian Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Symphony.

Since her ﬁrst rise to attention, Lina Yu has been sought out to premiere many works by various composers and has won numerous awards for her outstanding performances. Led by her, the earliest Chinese string quartet participated and won a prize at Berlin’s 2nd Schumann International Competition in 1960. She appears frequently in recitals and as soloist with orchestras in the United States, Canada, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, and China.

In 1962 Lina Yu was appointed to the faculty of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where she is currently chairwoman of the Violin and Viola Department and professor of violin. Many of her students are top prize winners at the Paganini, Menuhin, Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Sendai, Lipizer, and Sibelius International Violin Competitions. Professor Yu has made frequent guest appearances at major television and radio stations through-out the world. She starred in several documentary ﬁlms, including ‘Passion for Life, Yu Lina;, a three-hour documentary ﬁlm about her life made in 2001.

Professor Yu regularly teaches master classes throughout United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Japan and China. Professor Yu has served on the jury panel of many prestigious international violin competitions, including the 1998 and 2007 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competitions in Moscow, Russia; the 2006 Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poznań, Poland, as well as many international competitions in Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, and her native China.

Professor Yu founded the Yu Lina Violin Foundation in 1993, in order to promote talented young violinists.

THE RIN COLLECTION Stradivari, Antonio 1718

2026 COMPETITORS

ALEXANDRA COOREMAN

BELGIUM

Alexandra Cooreman began playing the violin at age 5 and made her stage debut at 6. She studied at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo with Augustin Dumay and Tatiana Samouil, continued at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid with Anna Chumachenco, and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Mihaela Martin. She is currently pursuing her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music under Professor Ida Kavaﬁan.

Alexandra has won ﬁrst prizes at numerous competitions, including the Kocian Violin Competition, the Breughel Competition, and the Grumiaux International Competition. She was recently awarded the special prize for the best performance of the Lamento by Tigran Mansurian at the Khachaturian International Violin Competition. She has performed as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Saint Petersburg, the Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisbon, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, the European Philharmonia, and the Flemish Chamber Philharmonic. Highlights of her recent performances include playing at the Royal Palace in Brussels, representing Belgium at the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Edinburgh, performing Bach’s Double Concerto with Renaud Capuçon and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1

KREISLER Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

RAVEL Tzigane

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 15

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

AOI SAITO

JAPAN

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Aoi Saito began her violin studies at an early age and trained at the Tokyo University of the Arts under Professors Asako Urushihara, Natsumi Tamai, and Masafumi Hori. She recently completed her master’s degree at the Berlin University of the Arts with Professor Latica Honda-Rosenberg and is currently pursuing her Konzertexamen at the Musikhochschule Lübeck with Professor Daniel Sepec.

Aoi has received prizes at numerous competitions and festivals, including the Michael Hill International Violin Competition 2023 in New Zealand, and was awarded the Balik Prize from the Villars Music Academy. As a soloist, she has performed with the Geidai Philharmonia Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and appeared at festivals such as the Miyazaki International Music Festival. A passionate chamber musician, Aoi has been invited to the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland, Villars Music Academy, Zermatt Music Festival Academy, and Chamber Lab Montecastelli. She has collaborated with artists including Midori, Boris Kusnezow, and Walter Küssner.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Gypsy Caprice

WIENIAWSKI Polonaise Brillante No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21

SEMI-FINALS

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SCHUBERT Rondo in B Minor for Violin and Piano, D. 895

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

AUDREY PARK

USA

Praised for her “peak of virtuosity, emotional depth, and elegant phrasing” (AMADEUS Festival), Audrey Park is pursuing her Master of Music at the Juilliard School with Professor Hyo Kang. She previously earned her Bachelor of Music at Juilliard, studying under Hyo Kang, Frank Huang, and Cho-Liang Lin.

Audrey has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra and the Peninsula Symphony. She has won top prizes at numerous competitions, including the Schoenfeld International Violin Competition, the Violins and Soul Salon Music Competition, the Chicago International Violin Competition, the Ronald Sachs International Competition, the Bellagrande International Music Competition, and the Edith Knox Performance Competition. She was a ﬁnalist at the ArsClassica International Competition, a semi-ﬁnalist at the Indianapolis, Stuttgart, and Lipinski competitions, and was invited to the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition.

A recipient of the Mark Zinger Foundation scholarship, Audrey performs on a 1709 Antonio Stradivarius generously loaned by the Goh Family Collection.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Op. 30

KREISLER La Gitana

YSAŸE Poème Élégiaque in D Minor, Op. 12

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

CAO JIACHEN

CHINA

Born in China, Jiachen Cao commenced his violin studies at the age of four. At seventeen, he was admitted to the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, where he currently studies with Professor Ulrich Edelmann.

Jiachen has developed a reputation for his expressive playing and technical precision, performing in recitals and participating in masterclasses with renowned violinists.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

KREISLER Variations on a Theme of “I palpiti” by Paganini

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Fantaisie Brillante on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 77

CHOI SONGHA

SOUTH KOREA

SongHa is a South Korean violinist and laureate of the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition. She gained international recognition at the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition (2016), where she was awarded Second Prize and the Audience Award in the Senior Division as the youngest ﬁnalist. In 2023, she won Second Prize at the Concours Musical International de Montréal, along with three special prizes: Audience Choice, Best Interpretation of a Sonata, and Best Performance of a Commissioned Work.

As a soloist, SongHa has performed with the Belgian National Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, and leading Korean orchestras including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic, Daegu Philharmonic, and Bucheon Philharmonic. An active chamber musician, she has participated in festivals such as the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Krzyżowa Music Festival, and the Davos World Economic Forum. Her performances have been broadcast by BBC Radio 3, Medici TV, Classic FM, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, NPO Klassiek, and RAI Italia. SongHa studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Lutsia Ibragimova and has continued her training since 2019 with Prof. Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata No. 18 in G Major, K. 301

KREISLER Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

POULENC Violin Sonata, FP 119

SEMI-FINALS

STRAVINSKY Divertimento

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

BARTÓK Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz. 112, BB 117

EMMANUEL COPPEY

FRANCE

London-based French violinist Emmanuel Coppey, a City Music Foundation artist, Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel Artiste en Résidence, and member of the Frankfurt Ensemble Modern Academy and London Contemporary Soloists, is building a distinguished concert career. As a soloist, he has collaborated with Emmanuel Vuillaume, Jérémy Rhorer, Vahan Mardirossian, Rachel Podger, Alexei Ogrintchouk, Guy van Waas, and Christopher Warren-Green, and appeared on Belgian national television for the Royal Christmas Concert performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. A sought-after chamber musician, Emmanuel has performed with Nelson Goerner, Marc Coppey, Augustin Dumay, Anna Vinitskaya, Barbara Hannigan, Nicolas Baldeyrou, François Salque, Guillaume Bellom, Martin Beaver, Bertrand Chamayou, and Frank Braley at major European festivals.

Emmanuel studied with György Pauk, Augustin Dumay, Philippe Grafﬁn, and Svetlin Roussev, and began his musical journey with Larissa Kolos. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Paris Conservatory. Emmanuel has received support from the Royal Academy of Music, Adami, Fondation de la Vocation, and Fondation Banque Populaire. Since July 2024, he is Artist in Residence at the Singer-Polignac Fondation. He performs on a 1735 Guarnerius violin from the Guttman Collection.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Minor, D. 385

KREISLER Tambourin Chinois

SCHUMANN 3 Romances

SEMI-FINALS

FAURÉ Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

CHAUSSON Poème

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77

GEORGII MOROZ

UKRAINE

Born into a family of musicians in Kyiv, Ukraine, Georgii received his early training at the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum under Olha Korinets. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore (2019–2023), where he began performing actively and establishing his international presence.

Georgii is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the XII International Jean Sibelius Competition (2022, Helsinki), the 9th Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition (2023, Nagoya), the 3rd Alberto Lysy International Violin Competition (2024, Gstaad), the Grumiaux International Violin Competition (2017, Brussels), and the Leonid Kogan All-Ukrainian Violin Competition (2018, Dnipro). He was a semi-ﬁnalist at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition.

As a soloist, Georgii has appeared with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, YST Symphony Orchestra, Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. A dedicated chamber musician, he performs regularly in ensembles and has appeared as a guest artist with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Georgii is currently pursuing further studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin under Professor Antje Weithaas. He performs on an 1829 J.B. Vuillaume violin generously loaned by Camerata Lysy.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Rondo in B Minor, D. 895

KREISLER Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta

YSAŸE / SAINT-SAËNS Caprice d’après l’Étude en forme de Valse

SEMI-FINALS

BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz. 112, BB 117

HAIRUI LEI

CHINA

Lei Hairui began studying the violin at age 7. In 2016, he was admitted to the Afﬁliated Primary School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Wei Yun. He has also received guidance and commendation in masterclasses from renowned musicians including Gidon Kremer, Boris Kuschnir, Hu Kun, Pierre Amoyal, Li Weigang, and Ning Feng.

Lei has performed at venues such as the Shanghai Concert Hall, He Luting Concert Hall at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Mozart Music Hall, and the Philadelphia Kimmel Center in Zhuhai. He has won prizes at numerous competitions, including ﬁrst place in the Children’s Group of the National Youth Music Competition – Hummingbird Music Award (Shanghai, 2016), ﬁrst place in the Professional Elementary School Group at the Vienna International String Competition (Shanghai, 2017), third place in the Children’s Professional Group at the Hong Kong International Violin Competition (2017), second prize at the EuroAsia International Violin Competition (2021), and sixth prize at the 9th Sendai International Violin Competition (2025). In 2022, Lei was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studies with Pamela Frank and Shmuel Ashkenasi. In addition to the violin, he studies piano, harmony, and composition, and enjoys reading and sports.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12

KREISLER Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

WIENIAWSKI Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 15

SEMI-FINALS

BARTÓK Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

YSAŸE Poème Élégiaque, Op. 12

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 77

HARAM KIM

SOUTH KOREA

Haram Kim is a South Korean violinist and composer, currently pursuing his Master of Music at the Yale School of Music under Professor Augustin Hadelich. He previously earned a Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music and a Master of Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Professor Catherine Cho and now serves as her teaching assistant. Haram began his musical journey under Professor Hae Yup Yang in Korea, demonstrating early talent that led him to win top prizes in national competitions and perform with orchestras including the Seongnam Philharmonic and Suwon Philharmonic. He was admitted to Curtis in 2011 with merit-based full scholarships as the Tobe Amsterdam Annual Fellow, studying with Ida Kavaﬁan, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Aaron Rosand.

Haram has been recognized internationally, earning prizes at the Sendai International Music Competition (2025) and Premio Paganini (2023), third prize at the Harbin International Competition (2019), and reaching the semi-ﬁnals of the Indianapolis International Violin Competition (2022). He has also competed at the ARD Munich, Isang Yun TIMF, George Enescu, and Joseph Joachim Hannover competitions, and participated in festivals including Music from Angel Fire (2018, New Mexico).

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 3 in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 12

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

FRANCK Violin Sonata in A Major

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz. 112, BB 117

I-HAO CHENG

TAIWAN

I-Hao began his musical journey at age 5 in Taiwan, studying piano, cello, and violin with his mother before focusing on the violin. At 12, he was accepted into the studio of Mikhail Kopelman at the Eastman School of Music, marking a pivotal stage in his early development. He later studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto with Victor Danchenko and Barry Shiffman on full scholarship.

In 2016, I-Hao entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he reﬁned his technique and musicality under the guidance of Gary Graffman, Aaron Rosand, Ida Kavaﬁan, Arnold Steinhardt, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Meng-Chieh Liu, Steven Tenenbom, Pamela Frank, and Midori Goto.

I-Hao has received numerous awards, including ﬁrst prize at the 2025 One Song International Violin Competition and the 30th and 35th Chimei Artist Awards. He performs on a 1725 Carlo Tonini violin and pursues interests beyond music as a dedicated chess player and sports enthusiast.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 162, D. 574 “Grand Duo”

KREISLER La Gitana

YSAŸE Caprice d’après l’Étude en forme de Valse de Saint-Saëns

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

AUERBACH Violin Sonata No. 2 “September 11”

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

JIANG YIYING

CHINA

Violinist Jiang Yiying, born in Anhui, China, is currently pursuing her PhD in Music at the Central Conservatory of Music under Prof. Ti Zhang. She previously studied with Yaoji Lin and Nan Xie.

Throughout her career, Yiying has won numerous awards, including First Prize at the 4th Singapore Violin Festival Competition (2019), Second Prize and Best Capriccio Prize at the 2nd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians (2017), First Prize at the 5th Chengdu Guang Ya International Violin Competition (2016), Second Prize at the Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition (2016), and First Prize with the Special Virtuoso Award at the 15th Kloster Schontal Violin International Competition (2013).

She has performed widely, giving recitals and appearing in signiﬁcant concerts across China and internationally. Highlights include performing with Paul Coletti at the 1st International Viola Teaching Seminar (2016) and participating in the recording program My Concert Hall – Classic Foreigner Music Appreciation (2013), initiated by former Premier Lanqing Li. Jiang has also held leadership roles as concertmaster of the China Youth Symphony Orchestra and as a string instructor for the Peking University Symphony Orchestra.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata in B-ﬂat Major, K. 454

KREISLER Tambourin Chinois

WIENIAWSKI Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 15

SEMI-FINALS

LUTOSŁAWSKI Partita for Violin and Piano

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

RESPIGHI Violin Sonata in B Minor

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

JINGZHI ZHANG

CHINA

Violinist Jingzhi Zhang has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician at major venues across Europe and Asia. She is the Second Prize and Audience Prize winner of the Premio Paganini 2023.

Jingzhi studied from 2014 with Pavel Berman at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, where she completed a Master of Arts in Music Performance. As a soloist, she has collaborated with orchestras including the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, the National Symphony Orchestra of China, the Carlo Felice Orchestra of Genoa, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, and the Virtuosi Italiani. A dedicated chamber musician, Jingzhi is a founding member of Quartetto Goldberg. Since September 2024, she and the quartet have been Artists in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

Born in Chongqing, China, Jingzhi began studying the violin at the age of four with her parents. Three years later, she made her solo debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Beijing, and in 2010 won the Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata No. 32 in B-ﬂat Major, K. 454

KREISLER Liebesleid

ZIMMERMANN Sonata for Solo Violin

SEMI-FINALS

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

ERNST The Last Rose of Summer

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 77

JOEY LAU

SINGAPORE

Singaporean violinist Joey Lau completed her Master of Music and Postgraduate Performance Certiﬁcate at DePaul University under the tutelage of I-Hao Lee, where she also served as his teaching assistant. She previously graduated from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance (Honours with Distinction) in 2020, having gained early admission at the age of 16. At YST, she studied with Qian Zhou, Head of Strings, and Igor Yuzefovich, Concertmaster of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Joey is the 2017 Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award winner and received third prize in the National Piano & Violin Competition (Artist Category). She was also awarded the Paul Abisheganaden Grant for Artistic Excellence in 2019. In addition, she is a two-time winner of the Danube International Concerto Competition. She has performed as concertmaster with the Youth Music Culture Guangdong Festival Orchestra under the direction of Yo-Yo Ma and served as associate concertmaster of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. In 2023, Joey was invited by the Kris Foundation to present a solo recital at the Esplanade Recital Hall in Singapore, where she was praised for her “acute sense of singing lines.” Joey will begin her studies at the Yale School of Music in Fall 2025 under the guidance of Ani Kavaﬁan.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata No. 18 in G Major, K. 301

KREISLER Syncopation

PROKOFIEV Five Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 35bis

SEMI-FINALS

JANÁČEK Violin Sonata

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

JULIA JONES

USA

New York–based violinist Julia Jones is pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Itzhak Perlman and Laurie Smukler, and previously with Li Lin. She is also under the mentorship of Viktor Tretiakov.

Julia has participated in numerous prestigious festivals and academies, including the International Music Academy in Cremona, the International Academy of Music in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Crans-Montana Classics, Concertate Masterclasses, Kaufman Music Center’s SummerFest, the Taipei Music Academy and Festival, the Perlman Music Program, and the Paciﬁc Music Festival, where she served as concertmaster for Program A concerts. She has also appeared in the Dorothy DeLay Masterclass Series and the Shlomo Mintz Academy. She has given solo recitals at venues including Christ Church (New York), Ann Goodman Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, Schloss Hohenprießnitz, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (Italy), and the University at Albany. Julia has received numerous awards at national and international competitions, including the Washington National Youth Competition (1st Prize and Best Performance), Oskar Rieding International Competition (1st Prize), New York International Music Concours (Grand Prize), New York Artists Competition (Grand Prize), and the Victoria BCN Competition (1st Prize).

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

RAVEL Tzigane

SEMI-FINALS

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

YSAŸE Poème Élégiaque, Op. 12

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64

KARISA CHIU

USA

American violinist Karisa Chiu rose to international prominence after winning First Prize at the 2021 Isang Yun Violin Competition, which led to her debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center. She has since appeared at major venues worldwide, including Severance Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Casals Forum. A top prize winner of the Menuhin, Leopold Mozart, Stulberg, and Irving M. Klein Competitions, she continues to earn wide recognition. As the recipient of the 2025 Gershenson-Cohen Award, she will make her Carnegie Hall recital debut at Weill Hall in spring 2026.

A dedicated chamber musician, Karisa co-directs the Plymouth Chamber Players, a Michigan-based collective committed to innovative programming. Her chamber music collaborators include Jaime Laredo, Kathryn Brown, Todd Phillips, and Ida Kavaﬁan, and she has won top prizes at the Fischoff, Saint Paul, and M-Prize competitions. Karisa is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She earned her Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata No. 22 in A Major, K. 305 / 293d

KREISLER La Gitana

RAVEL Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77

SEMI-FINALS

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SIBELIUS Five Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 81

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

KOSHIRO TAKEUCHI

JAPAN

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Koshiro Takeuchi began studying the violin at the age of ﬁve. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Classical Violin at the Manhattan School of Music on full scholarship, while also undertaking an Artist Diploma at the Tokyo College of Music. His principal teachers include Koichiro Harada, Lucie Robert, and Mayuko Kamio.

Koshiro won First Prize at the inaugural Ion Voicu International Violin Competition in April 2025. His other distinctions include Third Prize at the Long-Thibaud International Music Competition (2023), as well as Fifth Prize, the Amici di Paganini Association Award for Best Contemporary Music Performance, and the Dr. Enrico Costa Memorial Award at the 57th Premio Paganini Violin Competition (2023). He has appeared at major venues including Suntory Hall, where he performed in the Nobuko Imai Special – 80th Birthday Anniversary Concert under Kazuki Yamada, and made his debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka in 2024. He has also performed with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Koshiro is supported by the Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation and the Rohm Music Foundation, and performs on a 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, generously loaned by a private collector.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Op. 30 No. 2

KREISLER La Gitana

WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 15

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

LARA BOSCHKOR

GERMANY

Lara Boschkor began her studies at the Precollege of the Hochschule für Musik Cologne. She later studied with Liviu Prunaru at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, with Prof. Erik Schumann at the Kronberg Academy (2015–2022), and with Prof. Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin (2023–2025).

She made her orchestral debut at the age of eight and has since performed at major venues including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, KKL Luzern, Konzerthaus Berlin, Weill Recital Hall, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and Wigmore Hall in London. Lara has appeared at international music festivals and performed with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Hamburg Symphonics, Dresden Philharmonics, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie, hr-Sinfonieorchester under Christoph Eschenbach, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Lara has won numerous awards, including First Prize at the 7th Henryk Szeryng Violin Competition, First Prize at the 12th Carl Flesch Violin Competition, First Prize at the International Tonali17 Music Competition (2017), and Third Prize at the 56th Premio Paganini (2021). She performs on a 1735 Santo Seraphin violin from Venice, generously loaned by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Sonata in A Major “Grand Duo”, Op. 162, D. 574

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

YSAŸE Caprice d’après l’Étude en forme de Valse de Saint-Saëns

SEMI-FINALS

FRANCK Violin Sonata in A Major

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

TCHAIKOVSKY Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

LEE JIYOON

SOUTH KOREA

Korean violinist Jiyoon Lee was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She has won Fifth Prize at the Munetsugu Angel International Violin Competition, First Prize at the Ewha & Kyunghyang Concours, and has been selected for the Juilliard Chamberfest Faculty Group, Kumho Prodigy Concert, and Kumho Young Artist Concert. She has also received awards from several other prestigious national competitions and concerts.

During her studies at Seoul National University, from which she graduated cum laude, Jiyoon served as concertmaster of both the SNU Symphony Orchestra and the SNU Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed with the SNU String Ensemble. She has been a student of Prof. Young-Uck Kim and is currently studying with Joseph Lin at The Juilliard School.

Jiyoon performs on a J. B. Vuillaume violin, generously sponsored by the Munetsugu International Competition and the Nippon Music Foundation.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30 No. 3

KREISLER Liebesleid

SAINT-SAËNS / YSAŸE Étude en forme de Valse

SEMI-FINALS

FAURÉ Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SZYMANOWSKI Nocturne and Tarantella for Violin and Piano

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64

MICHAEL GERMER

DENMARK

Michael Germer began his studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Tel Aviv University, with Prof. Dora Schwarzberg at the age of 16, having already won the Grand Prize and First Prize at the Grumiaux International Violin Competition (2019), First Prize at the Postacchini International Violin Competition (2019), and the Special Prize at the Kreisler International Violin Competition (2019), performing in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, Vienna. He has appeared with orchestras including the Turin Symphony Orchestra, Haifa Symphony Orchestra and Webern Symphony Orchestra. He has also collaborated with chamber musicians including Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Alexandra Conunova, Adrian La Marca, Thorleif Thedéen, Enrico Pace, Silke Avenhaus, and Polina Leschenko.

Michael’s competition accolades include Second Prize and the Prize for Best Interpretation of Paganini at the Khachaturian International Violin Competition (2020) and First Prize at the Danish String Competition, where he also received the Orchestra Prize. In 2019, he was the youngest semi-ﬁnalist at the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition and has since been represented by Nordic Artists Management. A student of Nikolaj SzepsZnaider, Michael is a Larsen Strings Artist and performs on a 1772 G. B. Guadagnini violin, generously lent by the Augustinus Foundation.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24

KREISLER Syncopation

CHAUSSON Poème, Op. 25

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 77

NAKYUNG KANG

SOUTH KOREA

Born in South Korea, Nakyung Kang began studying the violin at age ﬁve and made her orchestral debut with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra in 2012. She has since performed with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, GMMFS Orchestra, KNIGA, KNUA Symphony Orchestra, Cheongju, Ulsan, Gangnam, and Millennium Symphony Orchestra.

Nakyung has been recognized in numerous international competitions, including Third Prize at the 2021 Isang Yun International Violin Competition, Joint First Prize at the 2017 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Kazakhstan), Grand Prix at the 2017 Singapore Violin Festival & Competition, Fourth Prize at the 2016 Menuhin Violin Competition (London), Third Prize at the 2015 Kloster Schontal Violin Competition (Germany), and First Prize at the 2013 Euro Asia International Competition (Japan). She has also participated in festivals such as Villars Music Academy, Busan Music Festival, and the Great Mountains Music Festival.

She is currently studying with Prof. Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

CHAUSSON Poème, Op. 25

SEMI-FINALS

RAVEL Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SARASATE Carmen Fantasy

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77

QINGZHU WENG

CHINA

Qingzhu Weng began studying the violin at age four. After attending music schools in China, he completed an Early Study Program, as well as his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with Prof. Krzysztof Wegrzyn at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Since 2023, he has been pursuing his Konzertexamen degree with Prof. Antje Weithaas at Hanns Eisler University of Music Berlin and is an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under Augustin Dumay.

Qingzhu has won prizes at the Premio Paganini, International Henryk Wieniawski, International Johann Sebastian Bach, Ysaye, and Mirecourt International Violin Competitions. He has appeared as a soloist with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Polish Baltic Philharmonic, Poznań Philharmonic, Opole Philharmonic, Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, and Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, among others. His chamber music performances include festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Beethovenfest Bonn. He currently performs on a 1761 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, generously provided by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24

KREISLER Liebesleid

RAVEL Tzigane

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

DINDIN WANG

CHINA

Born in China, Dindin Jingyi Wang began playing the violin at age 3. She was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at 15, where she currently studies with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. Previously, she held the Kohl Scholarship at the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles and also studied in Melbourne, Australia, under Margaret Batjer, Ida Kavaﬁan, and Fintan Murphy.

At age 12, Dindin became the youngest winner of the Australian Kendall National Violin Competition. She was awarded Second Prize at the 2022 Chicago International Violin Competition and Third Prize at the 2024 New York Classic Violin Competition, where she was the youngest participant. In 2025, she won the Australian Dorcas McClean Traveling Scholarship.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

MILSTEIN Paganiniana

SEMI-FINALS

FAURÉ Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WIENIAWSKI Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77

RUIYI WANG

CHINA

Young violinist Wang Ruiyi, a student of Prof. Huang Chenxing, has performed extensively both domestically and internationally, earning recognition for his technical skill and musical expressiveness.

Wang has won numerous prestigious competitions, including First Prize in the Youth Group of the 3rd Qingdao National Concerto Competition (2022), First Prize in the China Division of the Khachaturian International Violin Competition (2023), First Prize at the 14th Hong Kong International Violin Competition (2024), Second Prize at the Russian Yamal Symphony International Young Musicians Competition (2024), and Third Prize in the Senior Category of the 31st Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition (2024).

He has frequently performed as a soloist with top orchestras and at major festivals, including the Opening Concert of the 39th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nan Taihu International Music Festival with the Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Summer Open-Air Concert with the Russian National Orchestra, and the 40th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival Special Concert with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Major “Grand Duo”, Op. 162, D. 574

KREISLER Caprice Viennois, Op. 2

PAGANINI Nel cor più non mi sento, MS 44

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

RAVEL Tzigane

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

YESONG SOPHIE LEE

USA

Since her breakthrough at the 2016 Menuhin International Violin Competition, Yesong Sophie Lee has been “quickly building an international following as an emerging young virtuoso of outstanding potential” (The Violin Channel). She was the youngest prizewinner at the 2022 International Jean Sibelius Competition and received the Charlotte White Career Grant from Salon di Virtuosi.

Lee has performed extensively across the US and Europe, including recitals and festival appearances in Warsaw, Helsinki, Geneva, and the Gstaad Music Festival. As a soloist, she has appeared with orchestras such as the Helsinki Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonia, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre des Cameristi di Scala, and the Seattle, Detroit, Richmond, and Calgary Symphony Orchestras.

She performs on an Antonio Stradivari violin, Cremona c.1734 “Ames,” generously loaned by The Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins in Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

KREISLER Liebesleid

YSAŸE / SAINT-SAËNS Caprice d’après l’Étude en forme de Valse

SEMI-FINALS

STRAUSS Violin Sonata in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 18

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

YOON HAEWON

SOUTH KOREA

Haewon Yoon, from South Korea, is currently pursuing her studies at the Korea National University of Arts under Professor Jehye Lee. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, and Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra.

An active chamber musician, Haewon has performed in recitals and participated in international chamber music projects, including the Tianjin Juilliard Symposium Orchestra Concert. She has also taken part in masterclasses with renowned violinists such as Augustin Hadelich, Svetlin Roussev, and Boris Brovtsyn.

Haewon is building a versatile performance career, combining solo, chamber, and orchestral engagements, and continues to develop her artistry through both national and international collaborations.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 3 in E-ﬂat Major, Op. 12

KREISLER Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 87

SEMI-FINALS

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

HUBAY Carmen Fantasia Brillante, Op. 3 No. 3

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

YU SIQI

CHINA

Siqi Yu completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media under Adam Kostecki and pursued her Master’s studies with Erik Schumann at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt. In 2023, she returned to Hanover, where she is currently studying in the Artist Diploma program with Liza Ferschtman.

Siqi is a prizewinner of the R. Lipizer International Competition. As a chamber musician, she has performed at prestigious venues, including the Auditorio de Zaragoza, gaining extensive professional experience.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major, Op. 27

SESSION 2

MOZART Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 379

KREISLER Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven

YSAŸE Caprice d’après l’Étude en forme de Valse (after Saint-Saëns Op. 52 No. 6)

SEMI-FINALS

YSAŸE Poème Élégiaque, Op. 12

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SAINT-SAËNS Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61

YURI TANAKA

JAPAN

Yuri began studying the violin at the age of four. She received early recognition in Singapore, including the Platinum Award and the Paul Goh Bow Award at the 2016 SMTA Performers’ Festival, and the Best Stage Presence Award in the Young Talents Project organized by Mediacorp. In Japan, she won First Prize in the primary school category at the 70th All Japan Student Music Competition (Tokyo) and later placed Third in the national ﬁnals.

Yuri’s achievements also include Third Prize in the Artist Category at the 2017 National Piano & Violin Competition in Singapore, and Third Prize in the Junior Section of the 14th Lipinski-Wieniawski International Competition in Lublin, Poland (2018). She was admitted to Toho Gakuen Music High School in 2020 as a scholarship student, where she received the 7th Arion Toho Music Award.

Since April 2022, Yuri has been studying at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under Ning Feng, while also receiving private instruction from Alexander Souptel in Singapore.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30

KREISLER Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

WIENIAWSKI Polonaise No. 1 in D Major, Op. 4

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

HUBAY Carmen Fantaisie

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

ZHANG JINGHENG

CHINA

Jingheng Zhang is currently studying at the Curtis Institute of Music under the guidance of Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. She previously studied with Li Weigang at the Tianjin Juilliard Pre-College and with Wang Jiazhi at the Middle School afﬁliated with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

She was awarded a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music in March 2023, with admission deferred to September 2024. Her competition achievements include Second Prize at the Ysaye International Music Competition in Belgium (2022) and Second Prize in the Junior Group at the 3rd Lu Siqing Shenzhen Futian International String Competition (2020).

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op. 24

KREISLER Syncopation

SARASATE Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Major, D. 574 “Grand Duo”

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64

ZI YANG LOW

MALAYSIA

Malaysian violinist Zi Yang Low is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles under Martin Beaver. Zi Yang has received numerous awards, including Second Prize and the Jury Prize at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition with Trio Tokava, Grand Prize at the GSF Singapore Festival, and First Prizes at the Virtual International Competition Malaysia, Ipoh Music Festival, Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards, Malaysia Youth Music Festival, EuroAsia Violin Competition, and Singapore Rafﬂes International Music Festival. He has performed as both a soloist and chamber musician with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra, and has collaborated with artists including Marc Coppey, Tatjana Masurenko, Paul Watkins, Ettore Causa, and Gerard Salonga.

A violinist since age four following early piano studies, Zi Yang previously trained with Ming Goh and Małgorzata Potocka in Malaysia and was a Kohl Scholar at the Colburn Music Academy. He has appeared at festivals such as the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Heifetz International Music Institute, Meadowmount School of Music, APEC Music Festival, Singapore Violin Festival, and the Miyakojima Youth International Music Festival. Zi Yang performs on a 1718 Francesco Ruggieri violin, generously loaned by the Rin Collection in Singapore.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12

KREISLER La Gitana

SAINT-SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28

SEMI-FINALS

STRAVINSKY Suite Italienne

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

SCHUMANN Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

ZOU MENG

CHINA

Born in China, Zou Meng began studying the violin at the age of ﬁve. From 2014 to 2020, he studied at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music under Prof. Li Kaixiang, making his stage debut in 2013 with Mark Gibson and the SCCM Symphony Orchestra.

He has won numerous competitions, including First Prize at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concerto Competition (2022), First Prize at the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition (2023), First Prize at the Khachaturian 120th Anniversary International Violin Competition (2023), Third Prize at the Classic Violin Olympus International Competition in Tokyo (2024), Third Prize at the Alberto Lysy International Violin Competition (2024), and First Prize at the Schoenfeld International String Competition, Violin Division (2025).

Meng has appeared as a soloist with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of China National Opera House, Kunming Nie Er Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, SCCM Symphony Orchestra, and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra. Since 2020, he has been studying at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music under Prof. Qian Zhou.

PROGRAMME

FIRST ROUND

SESSION 1

BACH Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003

YSAŸE Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27

SESSION 2

SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Major “Grand Duo”, Op. 162, D. 574

KREISLER La Gitana

PAGANINI Le Streghe, Op. 8, MS 19

SEMI-FINALS

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78

DAVID LOKE Soliloquy

YSAŸE Caprice d’apres l’Étude en forme de valse No. 6, Op. 52

FINALS

HAYDN String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2

GRAND FINALS

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47

FIRST ROUNDS & SEMI-FINALS

GE XIAOZHE, PIANIST

NATSUMI OHNO, PIANIST

EVGENY SINAISKI, PIANIST

EVAN SOLOMON, PIANIST

SIVC 2026 COMMISSIONED WORK: DAVID LOKE SOLILOQUY SUPPORTED BY KRIS FOUNDATION

YONG SIEW TOH CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC CONCERT HALL

FIRST ROUNDS 25–30 January 2026, 13:00 SEMI-FINALS 1 & 2 February 2026, 10:00

SIVC OFFICIAL PIANISTS

GE XIAOZHE

Xiaozhe Ge currently serves as a faculty accompanist at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, collaborating extensively with Prof. Qian Zhou. He received his musical training under Prof. Dan Zhaoyi, Melvyn Tan, and Dr. Thomas Hecht, whose mentorship has shaped his artistic development.

A sought-after collaborator, Xiaozhe has worked with many of today’s leading violinists and pedagogues in recitals and masterclasses, among them Shlomo Mintz, Boris Kuschnir, Midori Goto, Victor Danchenko, Pierre Amoyal, Vadim Repin, Cho-Liang Lin, Nam-Yun Kim, Takashi Shimizu, Ilya Kaler, Ulf Wallin, and Shmuel Ashkenasi.

He performs regularly at international festivals and competitions, including the Singapore Violin Festival, the Keshet Eilon String Mastercourse in Israel, the Liang Zhu Violin Festival in Hangzhou, the HKIVS Shlomo Mintz International Violin Competition, and the Singapore International Violin Competition. His past projects include a complete 10-sonata Beethoven lecture-performance cycle with Petru Munteanu, as well as a Prokoﬁev violinworks lecture-concert series with Prof. Qian Zhou presented in multiple cities.

As a soloist, Xiaozhe has appeared with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Kid’s Philharmonic Singapore, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles.

NATSUMI OHNO

Natsumi Ohno was born in Japan and began studying in Tokyo. She later completed her Konzertexamen with Prof. Bernd Goetzke at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. In addition to her soloist training, she specialized in song accompaniment in Justus Zeyen’s class as well as instrument accompaniment for strings and woodwinds. During her studies, she received stipends from Tokyo College of Music as well as the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation ‘Live Music Now’.

Natsumi Ohno is an awardee of the International Chamber Music Competition ‘Premio Trio di Trieste’ (with violinist Kana Sugimura) and of the International Piano Competition ‘Città di Sulmona’ in Italy. She has appeared as an ofﬁcial pianist at a variety of violin competitions, music festivals and masterclasses, including the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover, Singapore International Violin Competition, Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the International Festival of Young Violin Masters Lindau, the IMAS International Music Academy in Germany, the Morges Music Academy in Switzerland, the Summer Academy Cervo and International Music Academy of Cagliari in Italy, the Strings Concert Academy in San Marino, Wenzhou String Music Week in China.

Natsumi Ohno is full time faculty at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media.

EVGENY SINAISKI

Born into a distinguished musical family in St. Petersburg, Russia, pianist Evgeny Sinaiski has carved a unique niche as one of the most sought after and highly respected chamber music partners and pedagogues in Europe.

Professor of chamber music and an ofﬁcial accompanist at the Vienna Conservatoire, Mr. Sinaiski also leads a duo class at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany. He collaborates with many important musicians of our day such as Herman Krebbers, Boris Kuschnir, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Helmut Zehetmair, Hatto Beyerle, Vadim Gluzman, Stephan Pikard, Latica Honda-Rosenberg, Jens Peter Maintz, Alexander Huelshoff, Alexander Zemtsow, Michael Kugel, Ivan Monigetti and Kirill Rodin in concerts and master-classes around the world.

Mr. Sinaiski has performed as a soloist with Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Latvian State Chamber Orchestra and Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra of Minsk. He appears regularly at most important venues on the continent including Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Tonhalle in Dusseldorf, Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Herkulessaal in Munich, as well as Brussels’ Palais de Beaux-Arts, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In 2008 he has made a successful debut as producer and pianist at Frankfurt’s Alte Oper and in 2010 appeared for the ﬁrst time at Salzburg Festival.

Evgeny Sinaiski is an ofﬁcial pianist at Singapore Violin Competition, Lipizer Violin Competition, Wieniawsky/ Lipinski Violin Competition.

EVAN SOLOMON

Pianist Evan Solomon has performed in France, Germany, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, and throughout the United States. His exceptionally wide repertoire has led to frequent engagements as ofﬁcial pianist at events such as the Hannover International Violin Competition, the International Viola Congress, and Juilliard’s Starling-DeLay Violin Symposium.

Evan’s performances as faculty artist of the Great Mountains Music Festival in Korea have been heard on the Korean Broadcasting System and NPR’s Performance Today. Additional television credits include appearances on the A&E Network with violinist Sarah Chang and cellist Han-Na Chang, and Live from Lincoln Center: Perlman at the Penthouse on PBS. His recordings with tenor Michael Sells and clarinetist Seunghee Lee have received wide critical acclaim.

A graduate of Grinnell College with a major in mathematics, Mr. Solomon received the Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California as a student of Brooks Smith and was on the collaborative piano staff of the Juilliard School for over thirty years.

Recent performances include the Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto #2 with the Germantown (Tennessee) Symphony, as well as recitals with violinist Basil Alter and cellist Alisa Horn for the Memphis Chamber Music Society and a concert with the Nashville Chamber Music Society. Upcoming concerts include a recital with Memphis Symphony Principal Flutist Shantanique Moore and a return engagement at the Memphis Chamber Music Society.

SIVC 2026 COMMISSIONED WORK

SUPPORTED BY KRIS FOUNDATION

DAVID LOKE

SINGAPORE

SOLILOQUY

Soliloquy is an exploration of the expressive and technical possibilities of the solo violin. The work emerged from an unexpected period of isolation: stranded in a hotel room with only a violin and an iPad due to a visa mishap, the composer was forced to set aside their usual tools and compositional habits. Deprived of a keyboard and familiar sound palettes, the writing became instinctive, direct, and closely tied to the physical act of playing the instrument.

Structured in two contrasting sections, Soliloquy draws on the tradition of solo violin repertoire familiar to many violinists. The second section unfolds as a theme and variations, with each variation exploring different characters, metres, and rhythmic ﬂexibility, moving ﬂuidly in and out of strict tempo.

The work incorporates a range of extended techniques — including left-hand pizzicato and rapid alternations between pizzicato and arco — which appear as playful, virtuosic gestures rather than purely experimental devices. These moments of technical display are intended to add colour and spontaneity, highlighting the violin’s versatility.

Ultimately, Soliloquy is conceived as a work that is both engaging to perform and compelling to hear, balancing technical ﬂair with musical immediacy.

GUEST ARTISTS

SHANGHAI QUARTET:

ANGELO XIANG YU, VIOLIN

HONGGANG LI, VIOLA

SIHAO HE, CELLO

VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

4 & 5 February 2026, 19:30

Tickets via SISTIC

GUEST ARTISTS

SHANGHAI QUARTET

Over the past 40 years, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. The Shanghai’s elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allows the group to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, soon after the end of China’s harrowing Cultural Revolution, the group came to the United States to complete its studies; since then the members have been based in the U.S. while maintaining a robust touring schedule at leading chamber-music series throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Recent performance highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Freer Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and the Festival Pablo Casals in France, and Beethoven cycles for the Brevard Music Center, the Beethoven Festival in Poland, and throughout China. The Quartet also frequently performs at Wigmore Hall, the Budapest Spring Festival, Suntory Hall, and has collaborations with the NCPA and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras. Upcoming highlights include the premiere of a new work by Marcos Balter for the Quartet and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo for the Phillips Collection, return performances for Maverick Concerts and the Taos School of Music, and engagements in Los Angeles, Syracuse, Albuquerque, and Salt Lake City.

Among innumberable collaborations with eminent artists, they have performed with the Tokyo, Juilliard, and Guarneri Quartets; cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell; pianists Menahem Pressler, Peter Serkin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yuja Wang; pipa virtuoso Wu Man; and the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. The Shanghai Quartet appears regularly at many of North America’s most prominent chamber-music festival, including annual performances for Maverick Concerts, the Brevard Music Center, and Music Mountain.

The Shanghai Quartet has a long history of championing new music, with a special interest in works that juxtpose the traditions of Eastern and Western music. The Quartet has commissioned works from an encyclopedic list of the most important composers of our time, including William Bolcom, Sebastian Currier, David Del Tredici, Tan Dun, Vivian Fung, Lowell Lieberman, Zhou Long, Marc Neikrug, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, and Du Yun. The Quartet had a particularly close relationship with Krzysztof Penderecki; they premiered his third quartet – Leaves From an Unwritten Diary – at the composer’s 75th birthday concert and repeated it again at both his 80th and 85th birthday celebrations. Forthcoming and recent commissions include new works from Judith Weir, Tan Dun, and Wang Lei, in addition to a new work from Penderecki.

The Shanghai Quartet has an extensive discography of more than thirty recordings, ranging from Schumann and Dvorak piano quintets with Rudolf Buchbinder to Zhou Long’s Poems from Tang for string quartet and orchestra with the Singapore Symphony. The Quartet has recorded the complete Beethoven string quartets and is currently recording the complete Bartók quartets.

A diverse array of media projects run the gamut from a cameo appearance playing Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 in Woody Allen’s ﬁlm Melinda and Melinda to PBS television’s Great Performances series. Violinist Weigang Li appeared in the documentary From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China, and the family of cellist Nicholas Tzavaras was the subject of the ﬁlm Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep.

Serving as Quartet-in-Residence at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University since 2002, the Shanghai Quartet joined The Tianjin (China) Juilliard School in fall 2020 as resident faculty members. The Quartet also is the Ensemble-in-Residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and visiting guest professors of the Shanghai Conservatory and Central Conservatory in Beijing. They are proudly sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld Strings and BAM Cases.

THE RIN COLLECTION Guarneri ‘del Gesu’ 1730

GRAND FINALS

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH JOSHUA TAN, CONDUCTOR

ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

7 February 2026, 17:00

Tickets via SISTIC

JOSHUA

TAN CONDUCTOR

2nd Prize winner of the 2008 Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition, Singaporean conductor Joshua Tan’s rise to prominence on the international scene has been marked by successful debuts in Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, Mariinsky Hall and Bunkamura.

A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music (High Distinction), he is an awardee of numerous scholarships and awards, such as the Young Artist Award, Singapore, Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Award, NAC-Shell Scholarship, and the SSO/MOE Scholarship.

Joshua has conducted orchestras all around the world. These orchestras include the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Beethoven Bonn Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Urals Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Okayama Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Julliard Orchestra, Toho Orchestra Academy amongst others. He has studied with various eminent conductors—James DePreist, Charles Dutoit, David Zinman and Kurt Masur—and worked with many others, such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Ingo Metzmacher and George Manahan.

Known as a versatile conductor, Joshua is at home with symphonic, operatic and ballet works. His substantial repertoire for opera includes La Traviata, Rigoletto, Das Rheingold, Der Fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterﬂy, Così fan tutte, Turandot, among others. He has also served as cover conductor

for Christoph Eschenbach and Lorin Maazel. He is also equally adept with music for ballet, ﬁlm and multimedia. For the latter, his extensive work includes Disney’s Fantasia and Pixar, all of BBC’s Blue Planet Series, West Side Story, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, James Bond, the world premiere of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and more. The Singapore premiere of Bernstein’s Mass, conducted by Joshua, was voted the best classical concert of the year 2018 by the Straits Times. For an unprecedented second year, his performance of the opera Don Pasquale was also voted the best classical concert of the year 2019 by the Straits Times.

Joshua is presently Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Asia Virtuosi. He has served successful stints as Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the National Center for the Performing Arts (China) Orchestra and as Principal Conductor of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of this season include debuts with Orchestre National de Bretagne, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra as well as return engagements to Hong Kong Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and with the Singapore Ballet for Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Coppelia and Nutcracker, as well as the operas Carmen and The Magic Flute.

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THE ORCHESTRA

Since its founding in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been Singapore’s ﬂagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene with its 44-week calendar of events. The SSO is led by Quantedge Music Director Hans Graf (2022-2026) after Lan Shui (1997-2019) and Choo Hoey (1979-1996). Hans Graf will be succeeded by Hannu Lintu who begins his tenure from the 2026/27 season.

In addition to its subscription series concerts, the orchestra is well-loved for its outdoor and community appearances, and its signiﬁcant role educating the young people of Singapore. The SSO has also earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity, having garnered sterling reviews for its overseas tours and over 50 recordings, culminating in its 3rd place win in the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2021. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine named the SSO as one of the 23 best orchestras in the world.

The SSO performs over 60 concerts a year at such venues as the Esplanade Concert Hall and Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore. Bridging the musical traditions of East and West, Singaporean and Asian musicians and composers are regularly showcased in its concert seasons. Its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres.

The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the Singapore International Piano Festival, as well as the SSO Organ and Chamber Series and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition.

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THE ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLIN

Chan Yoong-Han, Acting Concertmaster

Cao Can

Duan Yu Ling

Kong Xianlong

Cindy Lee

Karen Tan

William Tan

Wei Zhe

Bobur Eshpulatov^

Lee Shi Mei^

Lim Shue Churn^

Syu Cheng-Yi^

SECOND VIOLIN

Sayuri Kuru, Associate Principal

Hai-Won Kwok

Renyu Martin Peh*

Margit Saur

Shao Tao Tao

Wu Man Yun

Xu Jueyi

Yin Shu Zhan

Zhao Tian

Ikuko Takahashi^

VIOLA

Guan Qi, Associate Principal

Chen Li

Marietta Ku

Julia Park

Shui Bing

Dandan Wang

Yang Shi Li

Patcharaphan Khumprabkob^

CELLO

Ng Pei-Sian, Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair

Yu Jing, Associate Principal

Song Woon Teng

Wang Yan

Wu Dai Dai

Lin Juan^

DOUBLE BASS

Yang Zheng Yi, Acting Principal

Po-Yu Fang

Jacek Mirucki

Wang Xu

FLUTE

Jin Ta, Principal, Stephen Riady Chair

Evgueni Brokmiller, Associate Principal

OBOE

Rachel Walker, Principal

Simon Emes*

Elaine Yeo

COR ANGLAIS

Elaine Yeo, Associate Principal

CLARINET

Ma Yue, Principal

Tang Xiao Ping

BASS CLARINET

Tang Xiao Ping, Assistant Principal

BASSOON

Liu Chang, Associate Principal

Christoph Wichert

Zhao Ying Xue

CONTRABASSOON

Zhao Ying Xue, Assistant Principal

HORN

Austin Larson, Principal

Gao Jian, Associate Principal

Bryan Chong

Eric Yen^

TRUMPET

Lau Wen Rong

Nuttakamon Supattranont

TROMBONE

Damian Patti, Associate Principal

Samuel Armstrong

BASS TROMBONE

Wang Wei, Assistant Principal

TUBA

Tomoki Natsume, Principal

TIMPANI

Mario Choo

PERCUSSION

Jon Fox, Principal

Mark Suter, Associate Principal

HARP

Gulnara Mashurova, Principal

CELESTE

Nicholas Loh^

* Musician on annual contract

^ Guest musician

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY

VENUES

YONG SIEW TOH CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

Inspirational life-afﬁrming music-making is at the heart of the Yong Siew To Conservatory of Music (YST) at the National University of Singapore.

Founded in 2003, YST has established a reputation as Asia’s most exciting international conservatory, nurturing a new generation of musical leaders in performance, composition, production, and community engagement. Across their diverse stories, they share a common home: the close-knit YST community with its internationally diverse student body, world-class faculty, and warm connections with alumni and the industry.

20 years ago, YST began its journey with the Bachelor of Music (BMus) programme as its core educational focus. Since then, its educational offering has expanded substantially to include graduate, continuing education, and young artist programmes, as well as course offerings for NUS undergraduates at large. Further, YST engages the public in music through its extensive concert programming, community engagement initiatives, and the work of its Centre for Music and Health.

Address: 3 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117376

Website: ystmusic.nus.edu.sg

SIVC OPENING CEREMONY, FIRST ROUNDS & SEMI-FINALS

24–30 January, 1 & 2 February 2026

VENUES

VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

First established in 1862, the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Singapore. The heritage building located in the heart of the city’s Civic District contains a 614-seat Theatre and a 673-seat Concert Hall. Having played a role in the country’s history for over 150 years, the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall continues to be an exciting mid-sized platform, supporting the growth of Singapore’s arts industry.

Exuding old-world charm, the Victoria Concert Hall is the oldest concert hall in Singapore and has been the Home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1980.

Address: 11 Empress Place, Singapore 179558

Website: vtvch.com

FINALS

4 & 5 February 2026, 19:30 | Tickets via SISTIC

Image: EUJIN GOH

ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

An architectural icon with distinctive twin shells, Esplanade is one of the busiest arts centres in the world. Since opening in 2002, Esplanade has presented more than 58,000 performances and activities, drawing 37 million patrons and 123 million visitors.

The Concert Hall is Esplanade’s crown jewel, which seats 1,628 and another 197 in the gallery. Chosen by Hamburg-based building data company Emporis in 2014 as one of the 15 most beautiful concert halls in the world, the hall boasts superb acoustics. It is one of only ﬁve such halls in the world with similar state-of-the-art features, which include reverberation chambers and an acoustic canopy that adapts the hall for different musical performances, producing optimum sound at every concert.

Address: 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981

Website: esplanade.com

SIVC GRAND FINALS

7 February 2026, 17:00 | Tickets via SISTIC

THE RIN COLLECTION

A GIFT TO THE NEXT GENERATION

For more than four decades, Mr Rin Kei Mei has devoted himself to an extraordinary mission: to place the world’s ﬁnest string instruments onto the hands of the next generation of artists.

His vision is grounded in a simple belief: that great instruments are not museum pieces, but living voices that must continue to shape the future of music.

Since the late 1980s, Mr and Mrs Rin began acquiring stringed instruments from the ﬁnest makers of Europe—Amati, Bergonzi, Guarnerius, Maggini and Stradivari—with the Collection growing to over 1,101 violins, violas, cellos, and bows over the next four decades.

Beyond the loan of these ﬁne instruments, Mr Rin has been a steadfast supporter of music education, competitions and young artist development across Asia. His quiet patronage has helped nurture numerous festivals, orchestras and international violin competitions, allowing countless young musicians to take decisive steps into their professional lives.

Through its partnership with the Singapore International Violin Competition, The Rin Collection continues its tradition of supporting exceptional young artists by placing historic instruments onto the hands of the Competition’s leading laureates.

THE RIN COLLECTION & SIVC 2026

The Rin Collection plays a central role in the artistic mission of the Singapore International Violin Competition. By collaborating with SIVC, the Collection ensures that outstanding young violinists are able to perform on instruments of the highest historical and artistic value at a formative stage of their careers.

MR & MRS RIN KEI MEI

AMATI, HIERONYMUS

“The Pearl” 1686, Cremona Hieronymus II Amati was the son of Nicolò Amati and worked in Cremona. This instrument, characteristic of the maker’s work, was the favourite instrument of King Carlos IV of Spain. The King referred to it as “The Pearl” presumably on account of the pearls in each side of the scroll. A small piece of silver is also inlaid on the button of the back.

“The Pearl” was formerly part of The Henry Hottinger Collection, and was listed in a catalog of the Collection published by Rembert Wurlitzer Inc. in 1966.

DA SALÒ, GASPARO

1600, Brescia

Gasparo da Salò, the name given to the name given to Gasparo di Bertolotti, was born in 1542 at Salò, a small town in Brescia, Italy, and died in 1609. Gasparo is generally recognized as the inventor of the “modern” violin. He and his favourite pupil, Maggini, are said to have inspired generations of great luthiers.

About eighty of his instruments are known to exist today. This violin from The Rin Collection is dated 1600 and is in a remarkable state of preservation. A monument to commemorate his genius was unveiled at the Salò Church in 1906.

GUARNERI, ‘DEL GESU’ 1730, Cremona

Born in Cremona in 1698, Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ came from a family of violin makers. Alongside Stradivari and Guadagnini, Guarneri is established as one of the greatest violin makers of history. His instruments (unlike Stradivari, Guarneri only exclusively made violins) are extremely resonant and powerful, and their particularly rich lower end makes them a favourite of soloists. This violin has been in various collections, almost from the time it was made.

Apparently it went from Germany to New York in the late 1970’s; its owners then, Doctors Michael Gregg and Gary Goldberg, kept it as an investment. They would frequently lend it to amateur violinists for recitals without telling them about its illustrious origins!

TECCHLER, DAVID

1740, “Ex-Bridgetower”, Rome

This violin was owned and played by violin prodigy, George Polgreen Bridgetower, the son of an African prince and his European wife.

Travelling and performing, Bridgetower received numerous accolades for his artistry and at 23, met Beethoven, who intended to dedicate his Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 to him. On May 24, 1803, the sonata was ﬁrst performed in Vienna by Bridgetower, accompanied by Beethoven on the piano. They had a close personal and professional relationship for a time, but had a falling out before the sonata’s publication. Beethoven then dedicated it to violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer, who did not reciprocate this gesture and never played the “Kreutzer Sonata”.

STRADIVARI, ANTONIO 1688, Cremona

Antonio Stradivari was born at Bergamo, Italy in 1644 and died in 1737. It is believed that in his early youth, he apprenticed under Nicolò Amati, then the most eminent maker in Italy. He developed his style slowly, and by 1680, had garnered a small but growing reputation. A Venetian banker ordered a complete set of instruments in 1682 that was meant as a gift to King James Il of England. In 1684 when Amati died, Stradivari’s production increased signiﬁcantly. Cosimo III de Medici, a member of the Medici political dynasty who were the de facto rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance, also ordered a set of instruments from Stradivari in 1690.

STRADIVARI, ANTONIO

1706, “Ex-Liszt”, Cremona

This violin, produced in Stradivari’s “Golden Period” (1700 - circa 1720), allegedly belonged to Franz List who gave it as a gift, during his stay in Rome, to the Marchese Scipione Tadolini, a sculptor in Via del Babuino. It was then bought by violinist Remy Principe, a member of the Quartetto Italiano and I Virtuosi di Roma. Leandro Bisiach, a master lute-maker, subsequently acquired the instrument in 1928, and two years later on March 28, 1930, showed it to Alfred Hill of London, who commented that the instrument was built on the Amatese model.

STRADIVARI, ANTONIO 1718,

“Ex-Count Vieri”, Cremona

This Stradivari violin, dated 1718, was formerly from the collection of Count Vieri Ganucci Cancellieri. It is noted for its splendid form, superb sound quality, ﬁrstclass material and beautiful varnish. The Count was born in Pistoia in the second half of the 19th century and died in Florence in 1947. During the 1930’s, the violin was chosen by a commission of experts, headed by the famous violin maker, Leandro Bisiach and was exhibited as the principal instrument of an antique stringed instruments exhibition by the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

The violin’s sound was acclaimed by noted concert musicians such as Jan Kubelik, Jascha Heifetz, and Aldo Ferraresi, as well as many violin makers of renown who have expressed their admiration for it. This Count Vieri violin comes with the original wooden case that features the Count’s family crest.

MONTAGNANA, DOMENICO

1729, Venice

Domenico Montagnana was born in Lendinara, Italy in 1686 and started making stringed instruments in Venice from 1701. According to George Hart, Montagnana was a student of the Cremonese master Antonio Stradivari. At around 1711, Montagnana set up his own shop at Calle degli Stagneri in Venice, the most ﬂourishing centre of violin-making of the time.

Like Carlo Bergonzi, once on his own Montagnana started to exercise his creativity. His instruments are unique in form and size, and are characterized with unﬁnished purﬂing yet elaborately carved scrolls. Charles Reade, the celebrated English novelist, connoisseur and collector called Montagnana “the mighty Venetian”.