Tokyo Classic Violin Competition Announces Winners 

South Korean violinist Soyoung Yoon has won first place with €20,000 and additional competition opportunities 

The inaugural Classic Violin Olympus International Competition involves six preliminary competitions held across Tokyo, Vienna, New York, London, Rome, and Dubai, to select two top-ranking violinists from each city to compete in the grand final in Dubai in 2025. 

Open to violinists of any age, the competitions in each of the cities involve a prize fund of €35,000. To begin, three winners have been selected from an initial pool of 20 violinists selected to compete at the Tokyo University of the Arts in March 2024.

First prize of €20,000 was awarded to the South Korean violinist Soyoung Yoon, second place with €10,000 went to Russian violinist Andrey Baranov, and the €5,000 third prize was awarded to the Chinese violinist Meng Zou.

As the top two ranking violinists, Yoon and Baranov will gain entry to the invite-only grand final of the Classic Violin Olympus International Competition with a prize pool worth €310,000, to be held in April 2025 in Dubai, with all expenses paid. 

Chaired by Pavel Vernikov, the jury for the Tokyo chapter of the competition comprised Bin Huang, Min Kim, Natsumi Tamai, and Qian Zhou. 

“The overwhelming number of applications exceeded our expectations, making the selection process for the Tokyo Classic Violin Competition a challenging task,” said Verkinov on the shortlisting process. “The level of proficiency displayed by all violinists was truly exceptional, and we truly wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each applicant for showcasing their remarkable talent and unwavering passion for music.”

The next set of participants expected to be announced will be for the Vienna Classic Violin Competition, with the registration period for this second preselection contest having come to a close.

Applications for the contests in New York, London, and Rome are still open, however, so if you have not yet sent in your audition recording, make sure to act now before it is too late!

For more information about Classic Violin Olympus and its preselection contests, please visit the official website here.