Applications Closing to Spain’s Sarasate Academy 2025

Held from May 15–18, 2025, in Madrid, the Academy will select violinists, violists, and cellists of all ages based on musical skill

Founded by Kirill Troussov, the inaugural Sarasate Academy is welcoming applications from violinists, violists, and cellists of all ages and nationalities. To be held from May 15–18, 2025, in Madrid, Spain, the Academy will involve four 45-minute masterclasses, masterclass concerts with piano, a professors’ concert, and a final celebratory chamber music concert.

To apply, click here and scroll down for the application form; the deadline is March 1, 2025. The Academy jury will make its decision solely based on musical skills.

One outstanding 2025 Academy participant will receive the Sarasate Award, which will see the winner perform solo with the Orquesta Camerata de Castilla-La Mancha, during the 2025/26 season in Albacete, Spain.

Additional awards have recently been announced with new partners, including:

• Sarasate Award — A solo performance with a symphonic orchestra in Spain, in their regular concert series
• Pirastro Award
  • 2 x 2 violin string sets of your choice.
  • 1 x 2 viola string sets of your choice.
  • 1 x 1 cello string sets of your choice.
• Gewa Award — A case by Gewa Music for your instrument.
• Classeek Insights Award — Full access to the career-boosting programs "Management & Performance" and "Media & PR" with experts from around the globe
• Classeek Gold Award — This "Golden Buzzer" will let you skip the line and catapult you right into the finals of the Classeek Ambassador Program
• Violinbooks.com Award — High-quality photo book Antonio Stradivari Vol. I (library edition) worth 690 €
• Dolfinos Award — A lightweight Miniput stand for your sheet music / tablet. Additionally, a 40 percent price reduction on a complete shoulder/chin-rest set by Dolfinos.
• The Violin Channel Award — Personal career coaching in marketing and networking by a person of the executive team of The Violin Channel.
• Henle Award — 150 € prize money, awarded by G. Henle Publishers.
• Florian Leonhard Fine Violins Award — The loan of a fine old Italian instrument for preparation and participation in auditions and competitions, awarded by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins

The violin classes will be taught by Pierre Amoyal and Kirill Troussov, violas will be led by Veronika Hagen, and cellists will learn from Frans Helmerson.

Additionally, all students will participate in chamber music classes given by the Academy’s two directors, violinist Paloma Pierzchala and cellist Eduardo González.

The selected participants will be sent a confirmation email on March 15, 2025. Fees for booked masterclasses must be paid by March 29, 2025.

“For many years, I have dedicated a large part of my career to teaching the next generation of classical musicians: as chairman and artistic director of different academies and competitions, in my online lessons and in my numerous international master-classes,” said Troussov, who is also the Academy’s artistic director. “Founding a string academy in Madrid was a vision I had been carrying around with me for a long time.

“I am thrilled to have met Paloma Pierzchala and Eduardo González, who are just as dedicated to music education as I am. Together we have invested a lot of time and effort into bringing to life a unique string academy in one of the most exciting cities of Europe. And I am grateful for the highly esteemed professors who will lead the masterclasses in the academy’s first year.”