Finalists Announced at Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition

6 competitors will compete in the first round of the finals, which will be streamed on The Violin Channel on September 23

The Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition is open to violinists born after September 25, 1991, who are determined to pursue an international career. 42 participants from all over the world performed their concertos for violin solo in the first round of the competition. The 25-minute recitals featured highly varied programs with compositions by Kreisler, Paganini, Wieniawski, Ernst, and Bach.

All rounds of the competition are being streamed on The Violin Channel. Tune in here.

The 6 competitors who advanced to the Finals are:

Guido Sant'Anna e Silva - 17, Brazil

Elli Choi - 21, USA

Amira Abouzahra - 16, Germany

Raphael Nussbaumer - 16, Switzerland

Michael Shaham - 18, Israel

Rino Yoshimoto - 19, Japan

The six finalists will perform a violin concerto from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Kreisler cadenzas, in the first round of the Finals — which will be held on September 23.

The Gala Finals, with the last three competitors, will be held on September 25. The last three finalists will play the same concert as the first final round, now with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Joel.

Prize money of €20,000, 15,000, 10,000, 7,000, 6,000, 5,000 will go to first through sixth place respectively.

The first prize winner will receive several concert engagements including with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Nizhny Novgorod State Philharmonic, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana.

Additionally, the first prize includes a CD recording on NAXOS and a tour of Asia in May 2023 with World Culture Networks (WNC). We recently talked to Naxos Founder and head, Klaus Heymann, on the collaboration with the Kreisler Violin Competition, his thoughts on starting a career as a young musician, and the state of the classical music industry.

Previous major prize winners include VC Artists William Hagen, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, Nikita Boriso-Glebsky, and Sergey Khachatryan.