Prizes Awarded at Belgium's Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition 2024

Violinists Ilva Eigus, Mio Imai, and Ria Kang won first prize in their respective categories

Belgium's Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition (AGIVC) recently came to a close in Brussels.

The exciting final round, accompanied by the Baron AG Foundation Orchestra and conductor Luc Dewez, saw young, streamed here on The Violin Channel.

Audiences can watch the young talented violinists in three categories — Category I was for candidates 11 years old and under, Category II encompassed candidates aged 11-16, and Category III had candidates aged 16-22.

In Category I, First Place with €1000 and a masterclass Pavel Vernikov went to Ria Kang, Joint Second Place and €450 to Muqi Yuan and Wenjing Hu, and Third Place and €200 to Yibing Chen.

For Category II, First Place with €2000 and a concert contract was given to Mio Imai, Second Place and €1000 to Philipp Chernomor, and Third Place and €350 to Elina He.

In Category III, First Place with €3000 and a violin bow was awarded to Ilva Eigus, Second Place and €2000 to Brandon Du, and Third Place and €1000 to Kento Hong.

The competition jury comprised George Tudorache (president and artistic director of AGIVC), Michael Guttman, Svetlana Makarova, Robin Wilson, and Rūta Lipinaitytė. The pianists for this year's competition included Philippe Ivanov and Lionel Bams.

During his lifetime, Arthur Grumiaux had asked his wife, Amanda Webb, to set up a foundation whose main aim would be to defend the ethical and cultural values he had always expressed through his musical interpretations.

On December 10, 1987, a year after his death, Webb, together with several personalities close to the great violinist, set up the Baron Arthur Grumiaux Foundation — which is now dedicated to the memory and life of the Belgian master.