International Louis Spohr Competition 2022 Announces Participants

Following the preliminary round, 60 young violinists have been invited to compete in the the 10th edition of the competition

Founded in 1995 at Germany’s University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar, the International Louis Spohr Competition offers young musicians the opportunity to perform on a world stage to international juries and is open to violinists aged 21 and younger.

To be held at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar between October 26 and November 4, 2022, the competition is divided into three age categories and comprises three rounds. In total, prizes are valued at over €17,000 and include special awards with concert and broadcast opportunities.

This year, the competition received 113 applications across the three age categories — of those, 60 candidates from 20 countries worldwide will perform in Weimar for the event. More on each of the candidates can be found here.

Chaired by Friedemann Eichhorn, the jury will comprise Christian Altenburger, Boris Garlitsky, Yuzuko Horigome, Svetlana Makarova, Lucie Robert, Ulf Schneider, and Sarah Sew.

The first round will be from October 27 to 29, 2022, in the Festsaal Fürstenhaus and the Saal Am Palais. All rounds are open to the public with free admission.

The prize-winners concert will be held on November 4, 2022, where winning participants will perform with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Nicolás Pasquet. 

Past winners of the competition have found success at the ARD Music, “Leopold Mozart,” and Tchaikovsky competitions, as well as been appointed concertmasters at orchestras including the Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra.

The competition is named for Louis Spohr (1784-1859), who was a masterful violinist, conductor, pedagogue, music festival organizer, and composer of almost 300 works including violin concertos, symphonies, string quartets, and operas. One of the most significant virtuosi of the 19th century, Spohr was also considered the “German Paganini” of his time.

For more information, click here.