Finalists Announced at the 2024 Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition

14 violinists across three age categories will proceed to the competition's finals

First held in 1989, the biennial Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition aims to discover and promote young emerging artists, and to offer them the chance to create international networks.

Supported by the Hohenlohe Cultural Foundation, this year’s edition began on August 22 and runs until September 1, at the Schöntal Monastery. The Violin Channel is streaming the entire competition here. 

The competition is open to candidates of any nationality up to the age of 21. The competition is split into three categories: Age Groups 1 (15 and younger), 2 (up to 18 years), and 3 (up to 21 years).

The finalists in each category are as follows:

Age Group 1

• Haedeun Hong (South Korea)
• Mai Ikawa (Japan)
• Tsz Yan (Tiffany) Li (Hong Kong)
• Yiting Liang (China)
• Jayda Lu (Australia)
• Carine Suparman (Australia)

Age Group 2

• Madelin Goh (Singapore)
• Emmy Gu (Germany)
• Marleen Gujer (Switzerland)
• Natsuho Murata (Japan)

Age Group 3

• Jennifer Gheorghita (Austria)
• Dániel Hodos (Hungary)
• Yungi Kaneko (Germany)
• Sofia Smărăndescu (Romania)

"The competition’s objective is to discover and promote talented young musicians at an early age and offer the chance to experience and interchange on an international basis," Artistic Director Marcus Meyer told The Violin Channel.

"The pieces chosen for the Competition are of great significance. Young players shall become acquainted with the most important works of the violin literature. They are asked to study and interpret pieces of various musical epochs and genres. We want this process to be a pleasurable experience without overstraining. The program of our competition fulfills this demand, and the variety of the violin repertoire allows great freedom in the selection of the works."