Kirill Troussov on the Hong Kong International Young Musicians Competition

The 2025 edition will take place from April 14 to 19, at Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan Town Hall and is open to violinists aged 23 and younger

Founded in 2021, the Hong Kong International Young Musicians Competition is chaired and directed by violinist Kirill Troussov. It aims to provide young violinists with a platform to express their creative and artistic abilities plus share their musical thoughts with international competitors.

The 2025 edition is accepting applications until February 15, 2025. The competition is split into six age groups for the solo category, and two for the chamber music category.

The Violin Channel recently had a chat with Kirill Troussov to discuss the upcoming event.

Tell us about the Hong Kong International Young Musicians Competition. When was it founded?

We founded the HKIYMC in 2019. The idea was to create an international competition for young and talented musicians with easy access to the Asian continent and culture.

Due to the pandemic, the first three editions of the competition had to be conducted online. We had so many wonderful applicants and winners during these first years that we grew much faster than we had ever expected! Today, after only a few years, we are one of the leading competitions for young musicians in Asia.

What is its main mission?

We want to give young musicians the opportunity to perform on stage and to meet great international musicians and professors of the jury. We want them to receive valuable feedback on their performance and advice on their future possibilities and development. We also provide master classes with our international jury members, before and after the competition.

For which students and age groups is it best suited?

The musical and technical development of musicians progresses rapidly at an early age. Thus we have created six age groups for our young talents, ranging from 1 to 23. This segmentation allows a fair comparison and clear judgments, which is very important for the final award results.

What are you looking for in potential winners?

In general, competitions are an important cornerstone for the musical development and career of a young musician. In addition to their technical skills, the personality and creativity of the young participants will also play a role in the jury’s decisions.

What should be their goal? What should young musicians remember when applying to competitions?

It is important to focus on yourself while playing in a competition. You shouldn't try to outdo yourself in your performance, but rather express and play the best you can, on that day. This is what distinguishes competitions from concerts and auditions. Participants usually put too much pressure on themselves, which can affect their performance and the results.

Who will be on the jury?

Once again we are happy to welcome an exceptional jury of international violinists and professors from Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Spain, and the USA. You will find all details on our website. Have a look!

Is it possible to apply for both the violin and the chamber music competition?

Yes, this is also one of the special aspects of this competition: Young musicians can apply in both categories if they wish.

How can people apply?

There’s an application form on our website in both English and Chinese, which only takes a few minutes to fill in. Enter your details, upload one or more videos and you are good to go. There is no application fee.