Nancy Zhou's Winning Performance at 2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition

Tune in to The Violin Channel on August 26-28 for SISIVC Winners’ Concert featuring the six finalists of the postponed 2020 competition

Watch this throwback performance of the VC Artist Nancy Zhou playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 at the 2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, in Shanghai, China.

This year, the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) announced the decision to change its competition structure after being postponed in 2020.

Instead of competing for rankings, the six candidates that reached the final round will jointly present a concert entitled “In Tribute to Isaac Stern’s Centennial SISIVC Winners’ Concert” from August 26-28, 2022. The concert will be available to watch on The Violin Channel.

The six candidates are:

• Rino Yoshimoto (Japan)
• Thomas Lefort (France)
• Ruifeng Lin (China)
• Felicitas Schiffner (Germany)
• Angela Sin Ying Chan (Hong Kong, China)
• Shannon Lee (United States)

Each of the six candidates will be awarded a certificate for entering the final round of the 2020 SISIVC, as well as a scholarship of $20,000 USD for their future education and career development.

“Performing artists, especially musicians, are and will always be able to achieve the biggest impact by playing in front of a live audience," said Long Yu, President of the Organisation Committee and Music Director of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. "Competing online would help us decide the ranking of each candidate, but the ultimate goal of the competition is not ranking. This is just a means to discover and support musicians.

"Under the current circumstances, it is more important to effectively send these six candidates on track to the next chapter of their music journey," he added. "That’s why we have decided to provide them with scholarships and continued support measures, in order to help them head into the future with an easier and more determined path. The jury members were touched by this plan too. They saw in it the organizers’ respect for music and young musicians."