Winners Announced at "Violins&Soul" Salon Music Violin Competition

Italian violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti is the winner of the inaugural competition

Open to artists aged between 15 and 30 years old, the inaugural "Violins&Soul" Salon Music Violin Competition recently came to a close at the AMADEUS Festival 2023. The first of its kind, the inaugural competition focused solely on the genre of salon music and rewarded young musicians for their best interpretation of the then-popular European music genre from the 19th century.

On July 2, three finalists competed for a grand prize of 5,000 Euros and a 2-year loan of a 1709 Antonio Stradivari violin from the Goh Family Collection.

This year’s grand prize winner is Lucilla Rose Mariotti, who also won the 500 Euro public prize based on the audience's vote.

A current student at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London under Mark Messenger, where she is an Anne & Brian Wadsworth Scholar, Lucilla Rose Mariotti will continue her studies at RCM for an Artist Diploma. Recently, she has been selected for the prestigious Carne Trust Junior Fellowship 2023/24 at the RCM.

Previously, she has won the 59th Kocian International Violin Competition in the Czech Republic, the prize for the best performance of the contemporary Czech piece "Dža More" by Silvia Bodorova at the Josef Muzika International Violin Competition, and the Young Musicians Competition organized by the Filarmonica del Teatro alla Scala, among others.

"I'm so incredibly happy to have participated in the Amadeus Festival Vienna and in the "Violins&Soul" Competition in Vienna," Mariotti said. "Thank you so much to the Goh family and the audience for the awards and for the amazing experience. I'm really looking forward to playing for the next two years on the beautiful Stradivari 1709 from the Goh Family Collection. Thank you so much also to the amazing pianist Simone Sgarbanti who has shared this experience with me. Last but not least, it was so inspiring playing and working with the Janoska Ensemble for a two-day masterclass."

Second place and 3,000 Euros went to Karisa Minji Chiu from the United States, while third place and 1,000 Euros went to DongYoung Shim of South Korea.

The three finalists were chosen from an extremely selective blind screening round and personal interviews.

"The beauty, grace, and elegance of Salon Music was exhibited on the stage this weekend," writes the competition's representatives. "The three finalists for the Violins&Soul Competition showed the beautiful allure of classical music and we are proud to hold the stage for these violinists."

The jury of the competition included Mrs. Karen Goh, Director of AMADEUS Festival Vienna, Mr. Brendan Goh, Artistic Director of AMADEUS Festival Vienna, and Dr. Wilson Goh.

As the winner, Lucilla Rose Mariotti will bring to the stage of AMADEUS Festival Vienna a full repertoire of Salon Music with the 1709 Antonio Stradivari violin. The theme for 2024 is “Diversity” promising to be another extraordinary edition.

Held annually, AMADEUS Festival Vienna brings together international musicians at the grounds of the AMADEUS International School Vienna for a series of performances and workshops.