Tibor Varga International Violin Competition Announces 2023 Second Round Candidates

Open to violinists of any nationality 26 years or under, the competition is being held in Sion, Switzerland until September 2, 2023

Organized by the Fondation Sion Violon Musique, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, in Sion, Valais, aims to discover new talents, enrich the experience and musical practice of the participants, and provide encouragement to the winners for the rest of their careers.

With 149 registrations, it recorded a new increase in participation of 20% compared to the last edition. Only 25 candidates were been selected to take part in the public rounds — of whom 11 are from Asia/Oceania, 12 from Europe, and 2 from America. After a competitive first round, the second round candidates are:

• Léa Al-Saghir, 23, Swiss
• Rio Arai, 24, Japanese
• Emmanuel Coppey, 23, French
• Rennosuke Fukuda, 23, Japanese
• Elisso Gogibedaschwili, 23, Austrian
• Anna Im, 25, South Korean
• Sarah Jégou-Sageman, 25, French
• Seohyun Kim, 14, South Korean
• Emma Meinrenken, 23, Canadian
• Raphael Nussbaumer, 17, Swiss
• Aoi Saito, 25, Japanese
• Qingzhu Weng, 21, Chinese

These young artists will advance to the second round on August 28 and 29. On August 31 and September 2, three finalists will take part in the final in two parts – one for chamber music and the other with orchestra. The 2023 jury will comprise Augustin Dumay (President), James Brown, Mihaela Martin, Natsumi Tamai, Ingolf Turban, Pavel Vernikov, Silvia Colasanti, and Ashley Wass. Up to 39,000 CHF (~$40,000 US) will be awarded in prizes. The First Prize will receive CHF 20’000, Second Prize CHF 10’000, and Third Prize CHF 5’000.

The Prize for Best Interpretation of the piece by Silvia Colasanti is valued at CHF 3'000. There will also be a Youth Jury Prize (CHF 500) and an Audience Prize (CHF 500). Previous major prize winners include VC Artists Ji Won Song and Paul Huang.