Prizewinners Announced at the Prague Spring Competition for 2024

Tsukushi Sasaki of Japan won First Prize in the Violin category

The 2023 edition of the Prague Spring International Music Competition, in the Czech Republic, has recently come to a close. The competition is held annually, with two instrument categories being selected each year; in 2024, the two instruments selected were violin and French horn.

The violinist finalists appeared in the Dvořák Hall at Prague's Rudolfinum, with each player performing a concerto (choosing from Beethoven, Brahms, and Sibelius) with the Prague Philharmonia and conductor Marek Šedivý. Each finalist also played a short work of their own choosing.

The prizewinners were as follows:

• 1st prize – Tsukushi Sasaki, Japan (Prize: CZK 250,000)
• 2nd prize – Jan Novák, Czech Republic (Prize: CZK 150,000)
• 3rd prize – Marie-Astrid Hulot, France (Prize: CZK 100,000)

Ilva Eigus of Switzerland was afforded an Honorary Mention by the jury.

As part of the prize, winner Tsukushi Sasaki received an invitation to perform at the 80th annual Prague Spring International Music Festival in 2025.

The prizewinners of the French Horn category were Zhicheng Jin, China (1st), Nicolas Ramez, France (2nd), and Felipe Santos Freitas da Silva, Brazil (3rd).

In 2024, the jury comprised André Cazalet (Chair), Luca Benucci, Jörg Brückner, Jindřich Petráš, Zuzana Rzounková, Will Sanders, and Szabolcz Zempléni.

The violin final can be watched in its entirety below.