International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists Names 2025 Winners

The Japanese violinist Yuki Hirano won first place with a €12,000 cash prize

The VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists recently came to a close in Lithuania, where the finalists performed with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and its principal conductor Modestas Pitrėnas. 

The competition streamed live here on The Violin Channel. 

First place with €12,000 went to Yuki Hirano, who also received the €500 Special Prize for the best performance of a Heifetz transcription, as well as the €250 Orchestra Sympathy Prize. 

Hirano was also awarded seven concert prizes, which will involve recital engagements in the 2025/26 season sponsored by Paliesius Manor, Filarmonica de Stat Transilvania, Kaunas State Philharmonic, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, Poznań Philharmonic, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, and Klaipėda Concert Hall. 

Second prize with €8,000 went to Chinese violinist Jinzhu Li, who also won the Young Artist Prize. The €3,000 third prize was jointly awarded to Chaeyeon Lee from South Korea and Shaoheng Zhong from China. 

The Lithuanian violinist Rokas Diržys was awarded the €1,000 special prize for the best participant from Lithuania and the Virtual Audience Prize of €500. 

Special prizes won by the Polish violinist Zofia Anna Olesik included a scholarship to the 15th Swiss International Music Academy (SIMA) in 2025, and a prize established by the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth. Both Diržys and Olesik received the €1,000 competition diploma. 

All six finalists received the special prize established by the Bärenreiter Sheet Music Publishing House.

An additional special prize was awarded to Lithuanian violinist Kristijonas Pūtys, who won €1,000 for the best performance of the Algirdas Martinaitis piece With a Birdsong. 

Chaired by Gidon Kremer, the 2025 jury comprised Aistė Dvarionaitė, Mario Hossen, Rūta Lipinaitytė, Mihaela Martin, George Tudorache, and Pavel Vernikov.

For more on each of the winners, click here.