Finalists Announced at 2025 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition

Three string quartets will compete on May 24, to be streamed LIVE on The Violin Channel

Created in 1999, the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition is organized every three years by the Quatuors à Bordeaux association, which also organizes the "Vibre!" festival. Since 2021, it has been co-directed by the Quatuor Modigliani (artistic director) and Julien Kieffer (director).

Open to international artists of all nationalities up to the age of 35, the 2025 finalists include:

• Arete Quartet
• Opus13
• Terra String Quartet

The final round will be streamed LIVE on The Violin Channel on May 24 at 9 AM ET, 3 PM local time. 

The First Grand Prize is endowed with €20,000 and a set of bows by Edwin Clement of Meilleur Ouvrier de France valued at €40,000. In addition, the winner will complete a recording project for an album produced by Mirare and distributed by Pias/Harmonia Mundi, as well as a two-year international tour.

Second Prize comes with €10,000, four quality instrument cases donated by BAM Cases valued at €3,500, an invitation to a series of masterclasses to be selected by the prizewinner, and a concert in the ProQuartet season. Finally, Third Prize is €5,000, with an invitation for the winning quartet to join the Saint-Jean de Lux/Ciboure Ravel Academy. The special prizes include the €2,000 Contemporary Work Prize, €1,000 Young Listeners’ Prize, and the Audience Prize. Additionally, each participant in the competition will receive a voucher for the Henle Library App worth €50 each.

The 2025 jury comprises Martin Beaver (President), Corina Belcea, Hélène Clement, Valentin Erben, Miguel da Silva, and Anne Queffélec. Members of the preselection committee included Marie Chilemme, François Kieffer, and Vineta Sareika. The Final Round’s professional committee — which will advise the three finalist quartets — comprises Charlotte Bartissol, Robert Brufau, Paul Cabantous, Kirsten Dawes, Jakub Fiebig, Édouard Fouré Caul-Futy, Simone Gramaglia, Ulrich Hauschild, Chloë Herteleer, Yasmin Hilberdink, Emmanuel Hondré, Taku Kawai, Antoine Manceau, Jérémie Perez, Federico Rinaldi, Andre Roy, Francisco Sassetti, Alasdair Tait, Linda Uschinski, Cathy Wilkinson, and Michiel Wittink.

Past winners of the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition include the Prazák, Hagen, Ysaÿe, Belcea, Ébène, Schumann, and Leonkoro String Quartets.