Poland's Wajnberg Competition Announces 2024 Winners

Violinist Iohan Coman from Romania received the first prize at this year's competition

Currently on its second edition, the International Mieczysław Wajnberg Violin Competition in Katowice, Poland has recently come to a close.

The final round saw three soloists perform violin concertos by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Wajnberg at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. Named for Polish composer Mieczysław Wajnberg, the competition was streamed on The Violin Channel.

First prize and €10,000 went to Romanian violinist Iohan Coman.

Second prize and €5,000 were given to Matthew Hakkarainen from the U.S. and Finland, while third prize and €3,000 went to Maja Horvat from Slovenia. Horvat also received the prize for the best performance of Wajnberg.

The jury comprised Szymon Krzeszowiec (Chair, Poland), Eszter Haffner (Austria), Dima Tkachenko (Ukraine), Maria Sławek (Poland), Andreas Vierziger (Austria), and Łukasz Błaszczyk (Poland).

Born in Paris, Iohan Coman is a Romanian violinist who took his first violin lessons at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff. He studied both the Romanian and Russian schools of violin playing, studying in Chisinau, Moldova, and Romania.

In 2018, he moved to London and is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with So-Ock Kim. He is the 2023 recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Emily Anderson Prize.

During his studies, Iohan has had masterclasses with musicians including Hilary Hahn, Anthony Marwood, and Luke Hsu — and has played in orchestras conducted by Trevor Pinnock, Simon Rattle, Semyon Bychkov, and John Wilson.

(PC: Karolina Sałajczyk)