Prizewinners Announced at the Viotti International Violin Competition

German violinist Mariam Abouzahra received First Prize of €14,000

First held in 1955, the Concorso Viotti is multidisciplinary, rotating between different instruments each year. The 2024 edition focused on the violin, with three young violinists proceeding to the finals — where they each performed a concerto alongside the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano and conductor Francesco Ommassini.

German violinist Mariam Abouzahra was named the winner following her performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto. She received prize money of €14,000 and was also awarded the Soroptimist Vercelli Prize.

Second Prize (€8,000) went to Hyun Seo Kim of South Korea, who also won the Audience Prize of €1,000 — while Third Prize of €5,000 went to Lorenz Karls of Sweden and Austria.

A student of Dora Schwarzberg at the University of Music and the Performing Arts Vienna, Mariam Abouzahra made her debut with orchestra at age 6, playing Beriot’s Violin Concerto No. 7. She is a prizewinner of the Ilona Fehér, Làszlò Spezzaferri, Arthur Grumiaux, Virtuosos, Koczian, and Vienna Virtuoso Competitions.

Abouzahra has appeared with the Magyar Nemzeti Filharmonikus Zenekar, Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar, MÁV Szimfonikus Zenekar, and Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

In 2024, the jury comprised Pavel Berman, Pietro Borgonovo, Roberto Cani, Michael Guttman, Silvia Marcovici, Gabriele Pieranunzi, and Bogdan Zvoristeanu.

"I am very happy to announce that I have won the first prize and the soroptimist prize at the prestigious 74th International Viotti competition," Abouzahra wrote on social media. "It was an incredible experience, spanning four challenging rounds and featuring an enormous repertoire including Bartók‘s Solo Sonata, which I performed there for the first time."

"I want to express my deepest gratitude to my mother/pianist Nora Emody, who has been an unwavering support throughout this journey, and to my violin teacher, Dora Schwarzberg, for her invaluable guidance and inspiring preparation!"