BREAKING | Prizes Awarded at England’s Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition

18 year old Emma Wernig, from the United States, has just minutes ago been awarded 1st prize at the 2017 Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition – at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, in Birmingham, England.

2nd and 3rd prizes were awarded to 21 year old Lara Albesano from Italy - and 18 year old Sáo Soulez Larivière from France.

A student of Paul Coletti at the Colburn School of Music, in Los Angeles, Emma will receive £5,000 - and a recording contract with the Champs Hill label.

EMMA WERNIG & CAROLINE DOWDLE | REBECCA CLARK VIOLA SONATA | 2017 CECIL ARONOWITZ INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | 1ST PRIZE | 18 YEARS OLD

LARA ALBESANO & SOPHIA RAHMAN | VIEUXTEMPS VIOLA SONATA | 2017 CECIL ARONOWITZ INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | 2ND PRIZE | 21 YEARS OLD

SAO SOULEZ LARIVIERE & SOPHIA RAHMAN | BRAHMS VIOLA SONATA NO. 1 IN F MINOR | 2017 CECIL ARONOWITZ INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION | 3RD PRIZE | 18 YEARS OLD

The £200 prize for the best performance of a Solo Bach work in the 2nd Round, was awarded to 3rd prize winner: Sào Soulez Larivière.

The £250 prize for the best performance of a Fritz Kreisler work in the 2nd Round, was awarded to Semi-Finalist: Lisa Sung.

The 'Paul Ayres Prize', a silver mounted Brazilian pernambuco viola bow, presented to the most promising candidate in the competition 18 years or younger, was awarded to Semi-Finalist: Yizilin Liang.

The 'Bishop Instruments and Bows Prize', a silver mounted Pierre Guillaume viola bow, presented for the most outstanding performance of a Sonata in the 3rd Round, was awarded to Finalist: Yue Yu.

2017 CECIL ARONOWITZ INTERNATIONAL VIOLA COMPETITION FINALISTS: SILAS ZSCHOCKE, SAO SOULEZ LARIVIERE, EMMA WERNIG, LARA ALBESANO & YUE YU (IMAGE CREDIT: CANDIAN LI)

The 2017 jury comprised: Nicola Aronowitz, Ettore Causa, Thomas Selditz, Robin Ireland, Florian Leonhard and Thomas Riebl.

Previous 1st prize winners include VC Young Artist, violist Timothy Ridout.