Prizes Awarded at USA’s Klein International String Competition

19-year-old violinist Gabrielle Despres has been awarded 1st prize at the 2020 Klein International String Competition

19-year-old violinist Gabrielle Despres has today been awarded 1st prize at the 2020 Klein International String Competition – in San Francisco, California, United States.

Normally held annually at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, this year's competition, in partnership with The Violin Channel, was hosted virtually due to the limitations of the COVID-19 virus.

A current student of Masao Kawasaki and Joseph Lin at The Juilliard School, Gabrielle  will receive US $13,000 – plus solo engagements with the Peninsula and Santa Cruz Symphonies, the Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series - and the Music in the Vineyards Chamber Music Series.

2nd and 3rd prizes were awarded to 18-year-old cellist Jiaxun Yao - and 18-year-old violinist Masha Lakisova.

Joint 4th prize was awarded to 18-year-old violinist Caroline Durham - and 18-year-old violinist Dongyoung Shim.

The special prize for the 'Best Performance of This Year's Commissioned Work' was presented jointly to 18-year-old cellist Jiaxun Yao and 19-year-old violinist Gabrielle Despres.

The 'Pablo Casals Prize' for the 'Best performance of a Solo Bach Work' was awarded to 18-year-old violinist Masha Lakisova.

The 2020 jury comprised: Richard Aaron, Christopher Costanza, Glenn Dicterow, Karen Dreyfus, Robert Gibson, Ian Swensen and Barbara Day Turner.

The jury this year convened remotely to judge the performance videos.

Open to string players aged 15 to 23, the Klein is widely recognised as one of America’s most important development prizes – with previous 1st prize winners including Jennifer Koh, Vadim Gluzman, Jennifer Frautschi, Robert deMaine and Frank Huang – and VC Artists Tessa Lark, Nikki Chooi and Zlatomir Fung.