Results announced for 2016 China international violin and bow making competition

Chinese luthiers and bow makers took home most of the top prizes at this year’s China International Violin Making and Bow Making Competition, held in Beijing from 10–17 May. In the violin division, the gold medal and 120,000 yuan (£12,700) went to Huidong Yu (pictured), who also took the silver medal. The third prize went to Polish luthier Krzysztof Krupa, who won a bronze medal at last year’s Cremona Triennale competition.

Huidong Yu also took the gold medal and £14,800 prize in the viola division. The other medals in that category also went to Chinese makers: silver to Weitao Gong and bronze to Bin Li. Likewise in the cello division, all the medallists came from China: Yunhai Xu won the gold and £21,200, while silver went to Xiangwei Chen and bronze to Wen Lin.

In the bow making categories, Bernd Etzler of Hungary was the most successful medallist, winning gold in both the violin and cello categories, as well as taking the bronze for a viola bow. MingFeng Cai of China took two medals: gold for a viola bow and silver for a cello bow. Jianfeng Li, also of China, won silver in the viola division and bronze for a cello bow, while China’s Ma Rong-Di won and silver in two categories: violin bow and double bass bow. The gold medal in the double bass bow category went to Italian archetier Lorenzo Lazzarato.

All of the gold medal-winning instruments were purchased by the competition’s organising committee and displayed in an exhibition at China’s National Performing Arts Centre for the duration of the competition.

Pictured (left–right): Wang Shicheng, president, China Musical Instrument Association; first prize winner Huidong Yu; Li Shu, chairman,  Fengling Musical Instrument Co. Group

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Read the results of the 2010 China International Violin and Bow Making Competition