One gold medal awarded at 2024 Cremona Triennale violin making competition

 

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The 2024 Concorso Triennale Internazionale di Liuteria Antonio Stradivari has concluded with a single gold medal awarded in the cello category. Alessandro Peiretti, from Pavia, received the prize, while three silver medals were also awarded: China’s Liu Zhaojun received silver for violin; Cremona’s Borja Bernabeu for viola; and Michele Dobner, also from Cremona, for cello. There were bronze medals for Renzo Mandelli and Milos Seyda (violin), Piotr Pielaszek (viola), Francesco Coquoz (cello), and Cipriani Cesare Chereches and Tetsu Suzuki (double bass).

Taking place in Cremona, Italy, the competition received 401 entries from 315 professional luthiers, of 37 nationalities. This year’s jury was made up of five luthiers and five musicians. The luthiers were Ulrich Hinsberger (Germany), Massimo Negroni (Italy), Benjamin Ruth (US), Elisa Scrollavezza (Italy) and Gao Tong Tong (China). The musicians were violinists Fabrizio von Arx (Italy/Switzerland) and Daniel Rubenstein (Belgium), violist Alberto Salomon (Italy), cellist Dan Sloutskovski (Russia) and double bass player Mirela Vedeva Ruaux (Bulgaria).

The gold medal-winning cello will be bought by the Fondazione Stradivari and will enter the permanent collection of the Museo del Violino in Cremona. All the competing instruments will be on display at the museum until 13 October. 

Jury president Paolo Bodini said that the competition has improved with every edition ‘thanks to the contributions of the luthiers, who from time to time have suggested refinements of the rules, and also of the many jurors who have left us precious notes on their experience, which has always been highly appreciated. One thing has certainly remained unchanged over time: the selectivity in the awarding of gold medals in the various categories.’

Cremona’s mayor Andrea Virgilio, who also serves as the president of the Fondazione Museo del Violino, said the Triennale competition was ‘a precious resource for the Cremona area. It stimulates the local economy, attracting investment and supporting trade and services, making a positive impact on the entire city and the regional economy, and also contributes to promoting the city in the international tourism scene’.

 

Full list of winners

 

Violin category

Silver medal Liu Zhaojun

Bronze medal Renzo Mandelli, Milos Seyda 

 

Viola category

Silver medal Borja Bernabeu

Bronze medal Piotr Pielaszek

 

Cello category

Gold medal Alessandro Peiretti

Silver medal Michele Giovanni Dobner

Bronze medal Francesco Coquoz

 

Double bass category

Bronze medal Cesare Cipriani Chereches, Tetsu Suzuki

 

Special awards

‘Simone Fernando Sacconi’ award: Pawel Kubacka (violin)

‘Walter Stauffer’ award: Piotr Pielaszek (viola)

‘Pierangelo Balzarini’ award: Hyun-Jung Park (violin)

‘A.L.I. (Associazione Liutaria Italiana)’ award: Giacomo Rocca (cello)

‘Cremona Mondomusica’ award: Alessandro Peiretti (cello)

‘Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte’ award: Borja Bernabeu (viola)

‘Giorgio Cè’ award: Hyun-Jung Park (violin)

‘Piero Ferraroni’ award: Alessandro Peiretti (cello)

 

Honorable mentions

Violin

Pawel Kubacka

Damiano Catesi

Gianluca Coratza

Qingwu Zhang

Elià Fabré Capdevila/Aogu Shimasaki Arakawa

Brian de Boer

Marcello Bellei

Viola

Weitong Zhang

Emanuele Francioli

Shoichi Ebata

Nakabayashi Yuzuru

Pawel Kubacka

Cello

Luca Bastiani

Nagaishi Hayato

Jinwook Hook

Minyo Stoyanov

Double bass

Cristiano Scipioni