Polish violinist Sara Dragan took the first prize of NOK160,000 (€15,000) and a future concert engagement
The Princess Astrid International Competition 2024 was held from 9 to 12 September in Trondheim, Norway. The competition is held every two years, alternating between violin and conducting disciplines.
This year’s competition was dedicated to violinists under the age of 30, with nine candidates competing in the opening round, before being whittled down to six semi-finalists and three finalists in the last round.
Sara Dragan (25, Poland) was awarded first prize, following her performance with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and conductor Anna-Maria Helsing at the Olavshallen Concert Hall. She received NOK160,000 (€15,000) and a future concert engagement with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Opera.
Second prize went to Jiayi Chen (28, China), who received NOK50,000 (€4,200). Sungmin Cho (23, Korea) won third prize of NOK25,000 (€2,100).
Dragan is currently a student of Zakhar Bron at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid. She has previously won prizes at the Oistrakh, Novosibirsk, NYIAA, Telemann, and K. Lipinski and H. Wieniawski International Violin Competitions.
As a soloist, Dragan has played with numerous orchestras, including the Prague Chamber Orchestra, Novosibirsk Philharmonic, Wroclaw Philharmonic, Armenian State Symphony, Royal Chamber Orchestra, Martinu Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta, and the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra.
She performs on a G.B. Guadagnini violin, generously loaned by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
The jury for this year’s competition was presided by David Grimal, and comprised Tasmin Little, Soyoung Yoon, Christopher Dingstad, Kristīne Balanas, Tobias Ringborg and Cam Kjøll.
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