Japanese violinist Sunao Goko was victorious in last night's final round of the inaugural Tibor Varga International Violin Competition Sion Valais in Switzerland.
The 20-year-old Goko (pictured), who studies with Pavel Vernikov at the Vienna Conservatoire, received CHF15,000 (£10,400) for his first prize. He also won the audience prize and the prize for the best interpretation of the compulsory contemporary work – Shèxi by Chinese composer Guo Wenjing.
The second prize went to Liya Petrova, 23, from Bulgaria. Another Japanese violinist, 21-year-old Eimi Wakui, took third prize. Twenty-four violinists from 13 countries had started the first round.
The competition is a new event that merges the Tibor Varga Violin Competition, which was founded in 1967, and the International Violin Competition Sion Valais, which first ran in 2002. The two competitions were both held in Valais, initially in parallel, and later alternately.
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