VC Young Artist María Dueñas Awarded Grand Prize at Tretyakov Competition

In May of this year, the prodigious teenager was also awarded first prize in the senior division of the Menuhin Competition Richmond 2021

18-year-old VC Young Artist María Dueñas from Spain has been awarded the Grand Prize at the 2021 Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition, in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

A student of Boris Kuschnir at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna and the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, María is a former top winner at the Leonid Kogan, Georg Philipp Telemann, Zhuhai, and Yankelevitch International Violin Competitions as well as the 2o2o"Getting to Carnegie" Competition.

She will receive a $20,000 USD cash prize — as well as a number of important solo engagements with prominent Russian orchestras, including a debut performance on October 8, in Moscow, with conductor Vadim Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Ensemble.

The first prize in this year's competition was awarded to 18-year-old Eugene Kawai from Japan. Joint second prizes were awarded to 21-year-old Kenneth Naito from the United States and 17-year-old Jakow Pavlenko from Ukraine/Germany. 

The third and fourth prizes were awarded to 24-year-old Pyotr Fedotov from Russia and 30-year-old Kumi Shimizu from Japan/Denmark.

"I don't think there are enough superlatives in google to describe María's incredible blossoming over the past few years into such a brilliant, young, world-class artist," The Violin Channel Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey John Davies said. "We could very well be witnessing, right in front of us on the stages and our screens, the coming-of-age of one of the most outstanding violinists of the generation."

As the official media and broadcast partner of this year's competition, all rounds were streamed LIVE here on The Violin Channel and are available now for playback.

2021 VIKTOR TRETYKAOV INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION | FINAL ROUND | VLADIMIR LANDE & SIBERIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

2021 VIKTOR TRETYKAOV INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION | FINAL ROUND | VLADIMIR LANDE & SIBERIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The competition, this year, invited 18 international violinist, between the ages of 16 and 32, to take part in the live rounds.

The special prize, awarded by the Mayor of the city of Krasnoyarsk, including solo performances with the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra and Krasnoyarsk Regional Philharmonic was awarded to 21-year-old Semi-Finalists Maria Lundina from Russia.

The special accolade, of a violin made by the German violin-maker Igor Laubach, was also awarded to the 24-year-old Russian violinist, Peter Fedotov.

The special prize from the People’s Artists of the Russian Federation Valery Gergiev was awarded to 17-year-old Semi-Finalist Julia Jones from the United States.

Maria currently performs on a mid-golden period Stradivari violin from the private collection of Jonathan Moulds — through the Beare’s International Violin Society, and courtesy of the Menuhin Competition.

The year’s jury comprised Viktor Tretyakov (Chair), Natalya Likhopoy, Boris Kuschnir, Maxim Vengerov, Sergej Krylov, Mikhail Benyumov, Ilya Kaler, Bruno Monsaingeon, and Kristjan Jarvi.