Chicago Violin Competition Announces 2024 Winners and Laureates 

American violinists Audrey Park and Stephan Zhang won the Senior and Junior Divisions, respectively 

Hosted by the American Music Institute, the Chicago International Violin Competition (CVC) is a bi-yearly event held as two editions: the Young Artist Division for violinists aged seven to 17, and the  Senior Artist Division for those aged 18 to 28. 

First prize in the Young Artist Division went to Stephan Zhang (17) with $1,500. Second prize with $1,000 was awarded to Dustin Breshears (17), and the $500 third prize went to Valery Breshears (14). 

First prize in the Senior Artist Division with $3,000 went to Audrey Park (22) from the U.S. Second prize with $2,000 went to Haerim Oh (24) from South Korea. Third prize with $1,000 was awarded to Inga Rodina (24) of Russia. 

Among other engagements, the winners will also receive performance and masterclass opportunities.  

All winners and laureates were selected over two rounds and over four weeks of deliberations by the international jury. In 2024, the competition saw over 100 participants apply from 34 countries. The next edition of the competition will begin in November 2026. 

Chaired by Robert Simonds, the jury comprised Juliana Athayde, Dr. Orieta Dado, Ariana Kim, and Yang Liu. 

“[The] CVC judges heard tremendous talent from all over the world and it was an absolute joy to listen to these promising artists,” Simonds said. “Congratulations to all the performers who competed and played so beautifully. We look forward to hearing your future performances.” 

The 2024 competition performances can be viewed here.