Violinist Joshua Brown wins $100,000 first prize at Beijing’s Global Music Education League Competition

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US violinist Joshua Brown has won this year’s Global Music Education League Competition in Beijing, which was held from 3 to 13 November 2023. The 24-year-old musician wins the Gold Medal and a prize package that includes $100,000, international management and tours.

Brown performed the Brahms Violin Concerto in D major in the final, with Philadelphia Orchestra and China Conservatory Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tristan Rais-Sherman at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing.

Brown was a prize winner of the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. He earned his Bachelor of Music and is currently pursuing his Master of Music with Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory of Music. His previous competition successes include first prize and the audience award at the 2019 International Violin Competition of Leopold Mozart in Augsburg, Austria; second prize and audience award at the Cooper International Violin Competition and Gold Medals at both Fischoff and M-Prize Chamber Music Competitions.

The 22-year-old US violinist Elli Choi won the Silver Medal and $65,000, following her performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, and the Jade Medal and a $30,000 prize went to 22-year-old Chinese violinist Chaowen Luo following his performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major.

The Global Music Education League Competition was held this year following a four-year absence caused by the global pandemic. Organised by the Global Music Education League (GMEL), together with the China Conservatory of Music, this year’s competition was dedicated to the violin with professor Liguang Wang, chairman of the Global Music Education League, serving as the president of the competition and professor Bin Huang serving as chairman of the jury.

The jury consisted of nine violinists: Bin Huang (chairman of the jury), Giovanni Angeleri, Fridemann Eichhorn, Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici, Mariusz Patyra, Lucie Robert, Joel Smirnoff, Weidong Tong and Pavel Vernikov.

Liguang Wang, founder of GMEL and the competition, commented: ’The mission of GMEL is to promote music as a great force promoting global dialogue. It is also the very reason this competition was founded. It is my hope that the Competition will become a cultural brand for Beijing that becomes a platform for launching the great musicians of the future.’

’This year’s competition hosted some of the most talented young violinists from all over the world and a jury of internationally renowned musicians and educators,’ said jury chairman Huang. ’It was a great cultural and educational musical feast with three exceptional finalists giving thrilling performances.’

The competition was founded in 2019 and plans to be held annually, alternating between piano and violin disciplines. It is open to musicians from around the world ages 16 to 30.

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