Eight violinists will progress to the semi-final rounds, which will take place from 22 to 25 September 2024
Eight violinists have progressed to the semi-final rounds of the 2024 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, Hanover. This follows the first and second round performances that took place this week, which saw 24 violinists perform both a solo recital and a programme with piano.
The semi-finalists are:
Kyumin Park, 27, South Korea
Alexandra Weissbecker, 22, Germany
Xunyue Zhang, 20, China
Angela Chan, 27, Hong Kong
Eunjoong Park, 23, South Korea
Jacques Forestier, 19, Canada
Alexander Won-Ho Kim, 31, South Korea
Louisa Staples, 24, UK
Jury chair Juliane Banse acknowledged the challenge of whittling 24 contestants down to eight: ’These eight people, this group of semi-finalists, is the result of a very tight vote, purely democratic vote of this jury, which in this competition is on purpose, very diverse. We come from different fields of music, different angles, which makes it very interesting, but of course, sometimes difficult.’
The jury has offered feedback to competitors who have not reached the semi-final rounds.
The semi-finals will comprise two rounds that will take place from Sunday 22 September until Wednesday 25 September. In the first round, contestants will play and conduct the Munich Chamber Orchestra in performances of the first and second movement of a Mozart violin concerto (B flat major KV 207, D major KV 218 or A major KV 219), and the third movement of Divertimento, Sz 113 by Bartók.
In the second semi-final round, competitors will prepare and perform the first violin part of a Haydn string quartet with members of the Kuss Quartet, Jana Kuss, William Coleman, and Mikayel Hakhnazaryan. The particular Haydn quartet will be revealed to each candidate following the announcement of the semi-finalists and each contestant will have the same amount of preparation time. The other works of this recital can be chosen freely by the competitors, with a total duration of 60 to 70 minutes.
Following the semi-finals, the chosen finalists will perform with the NDR Radiophilharmonie under the baton of Stephan Zilias, a concerto by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, Mendelssohn or Schumann, as well as the competition’s compulsory piece by Enno Poppe.
Prizes up for grabs include the main ‘Joseph Joachim’ prize, worth €30,000, €10,000 for each of the finalists, as well as the promise of future performance engagements, the production and distribution of a debut album, sheet music vouchers and the loan of a valuable violin.
This year’s competition jury is chaired by soprano Juliane Banse and comprises violinists Lorenza Borrani, Ana Chumachenco, Ning Feng, Liza Ferschtman, violist Kim Kashkashian as well as pianist Robert Levin and conductor Stephan Zilias.
Read: Violin winners announced at the 2024 Enescu Competition
Read: Maria Ioudenitch wins 2021 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition
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