Violin contestants selected for Sendai International Music Competition

No comments

41 violinists will have the chance to compete at this year’s competition, which will be held from 24 May to 8 June 2025

NEW (8) (1)

The contestants for Japan’s 9th Sendai International Music Competition have been decided. The competition is held every three years in the violin and piano disciplines.

41 violinists have been selected to take part in this year’s competition, the preliminary rounds of which will take place from 24 to 26 May 2025. Twelve competitors will progress to the semi-finals, which will be held 30 May to 1 June. Six finalists will be chosen to perform in the final round from 5 to 7 June, with a prizewinners’ gala concert on 8 June.

The first prizewinner will receive JPY3,000,000 (£15,000), a diploma and gold medal, as well as concerts with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and other major orchestras in Japan, plus future recital engagements in Japan and production of a CD.

Cash prizes are available for all place-winners to sixth prize, with silver and bronze medals for second and third prize respectively.

Yuzuko Horigome will serve as the jury chair with Masafumi Hori and Young-Uck Kim as vice-chairs. The jury will comprise Shmuel Ashkenasi, Boris Belkin, Friedemann Eichhorn, Cho-Liang Lin, Mihaela Martin, Liviu Prunaru, Ryo Terakado and Kyoko Yonemoto.

Japanese violinist Lina Nakano won the 2022 competition, while US violinist Shannon Lee won second prize at the 2019 edition (no first prize awarded).

The violin contestants for 2025 are as follows:

Sameer Agrawal (US)

Leon Blekh (Netherlands)

Zachary Brandon (US)

Jiachen Cao (China)

Eric Chen (US/Taiwan)

Karisa Chiu (US)

Vilmos Csikos (Belgium/Hungary)

Huali Dang (China)

Gina Keiko Friesicke (Germany)

Yanis Grisó (Luxembourg)

Fiona Kisara Iyoku (US/Japan)

Yeyeong Jin (South Korea)

Julia Jones (US)

Mei Kaneko (Japan)

Haram Kim (South Korea)

Hyeonji Kim (South Korea)

Donghwi Ko (South Korea)

Jiyoon Lee (South Korea)

Hairui Lei (China)

Jinzhu Li (China)

Tianyou Liu (China)

Zi Yang Low (Malaysia)

Momo Matoba (Japan)

Shotaro Matsuki (Japan)

Leanne McGowan (Australia)

Boha Moon (South Korea)

Michael Nodel (Germany/US)

Mako Ochiai (Japan)

Seohyeon Park (South Korea)

Wonmin Park (South Korea)

Aoi Saito (Japan)

Vikram Francesco Sedona (Italy)

Jake Dongyoung Shim (South Korea)

Emmanuelle Sievers (Japan)

Eric Tsai (Taiwan/US)

Julian Walder (Austria)

Dandan Jingfei Wang (China)

Xiyue Wu (China)

Haewon Yoon (South Korea)

Rino Yoshimoto (Japan)

Aozhe Zhang (China)

Read: Trio Brontë wins the Franz Schubert and Modern Music competition piano trio category

Read: Positive self-talk: a key to boosting musicians’ confidence

Read more news stories here

Available on The Strad Shop

The number one source for playing and teaching books, guides, CDs, calendars and back issues of the magazine.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.