The three finalists of the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, organized by the Stiftung Niedersachsen, have been announced. On 28 September, the final concerts will take place in the Großer Sendesaal of the NDR Konzerthaus in Hannover. These concerts will be streamed live.
Angela Chan, Kyumin Park and Jacques Forestier in the Final
The finalists are Angela Chan (27, Hong Kong/China), Kyumin Park (27, South Korea) and Jacques Forestier (19, Canada). They have qualified for the final and each receive a prize money of 10,000 euros, along with the honorary title "Laureate of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition". The three talented violinists distinguished themselves in the semi-final with their impressive performances and convinced the international jury, led by soprano Juliane Banse. In the final, they will perform with the NDR Radiophilharmonie, conducted by Stephan Zilias.
During the final concert, the finalists will perform both a violin concerto with symphony orchestra and the world premiere work "Feder", a solo violin composition composed by Enno Poppe specially for the competition. After the performances, the jury will decide who receives the main prize of 30,000 euros, the "Joseph Joachim". World-renowned violinist Gidon Kremer will serve as an additional jury member during the final concerts.
Final Concert Programme
- 14:00 - 15:15: Kyumin Park
- Enno Poppe: Feder (world premiere) for solo violin
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61
- 15-minute break
- 15:30 - 16:30: Angela Chan
- Enno Poppe: Feder (world premiere) for solo violin
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, op. 77
- 30-minute break
- 17:00 - 17:50: Jacques Forestier
- Enno Poppe: Feder (world premiere) for solo violin
- Antonín Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53
- Break until 20:00
- 20:00 - 21:00: Prize ceremony
The final concerts and prize ceremony can be followed live on jjv-hannover.de/livestream and via NDR Kultur. A day later, on 29 September 2024, NDR Kultur will broadcast recordings of the concerts from 21:30 to midnight in the series 'Podium der Jungen'.
Participants 2024
This year, 21 young violinists from nine countries participated in the competition in Hannover. The participants came from South Korea, Japan, China, Germany, Hungary, the United States, Canada, Russia and the United Kingdom. Nine of them are currently studying in Europe, seven of whom in Germany. The average age of the participants is 22 years, with the youngest participants being 16 years old and the oldest 31 years old. Eight participants reached the semi-final: Alexander Won-Ho Kim, Eunjoong Park, Alexandra Weissbecker, Louisa Staples, Kyumin Park, Angela Chan, Jacques Forestier and Xunyue Zhang. Three of them advance to the final: Kyumin Park, Angela Chan and Jacques Forestier.
International Class Jury
The jury of this edition of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition consists of renowned international musicians with diverse backgrounds and experience in the music world. In addition to jury chairperson soprano Juliane Banse, violinists Lorenza Borrani, Feng Ning, Liza Ferschtman, András Keller (from the semi-final), Gidon Kremer (final only), Kathrin Rabus, violist Kim Kashkashian, pianist Alexander Lonquich (from the semi-final) and conductor Stephan Zilias participate in the jury.
Prizes and Honours
The competition features impressive prize money awarded by the Stiftung Niedersachsen. The main prize, the "Joseph Joachim", is 30,000 euros. In addition, the three finalists each receive 10,000 euros for their performance in the final. There are also other prize monies, such as the audience prize of 2,000 euros, the prize for the best interpretation of the mandatory work of 5,000 euros, and the prize for the best chamber music performance of 3,000 euros among the semi-finalists.
In addition to prize money, there are prestigious non-monetary honours. Warner Classics will select a participant for the recording of a debut album, which will be promoted internationally. G. Henle Verlag will provide vouchers for Urtext editions, in both printed and digital form. Moreover, other prizes include the loan of a valuable Guadagnini violin from the Fritz Behrens Stiftung, an invitation to a music management course with karsten witt muziek management GmbH, and participation in a violin masterclass at the Kronberg Academy for two young violinists. Additionally, more than 30 international concert invitations will be issued to all participants from the semi-final onwards.