The 2020 Sibelius Violin Competition Jury Announced and Website Launched
The biggest international classical music competition in Finland, the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, will be held in Helsinki from November 22 to December 3, 2020.
The Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, held every five years, is one of the most significant music competitions in the world. It was founded in 1965 to mark the 100th anniversary of Sibelius’ birth. The jury of the twelfth edition of the competition features Pekka Kuusisto, Wei Dong Tong, Lucie Robert, Isabelle van Keulen, Ilya Kaler, Ida Kavafian, Nam Yun Kim and Henning Kraggerud, and is chaired by Sakari Oramo. In the final rounds of the competition, the contestants will perform as soloists with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dima Slobodeniouk and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by chief conductor Susanna Mälkki.
Approximately 40 violinists will be selected for the preliminary stages of the competition, 18 of whom will continue to the semi-finals, and then six to the final. In the qualification round and semi-finals, the contestants perform solo as well as accompanied by a pianist. In the semi-finals, a solo violin piece by composer Magnus Lindberg, commissioned specially for the competition, is mandatory program for all competitors. In the final, the contestants each perform two violin concertos, one of which is Sibelius’ beloved concerto op. 47. The main prize is € 30,000, the second prize € 20,000 and the third prize € 15,000. The new website for the Sibelius Violin Competition has been opened at http://www.sibeliuscompetition.fi.
The final rounds of the competition will be held in the state-of-the-art concert hall in Helsinki Music Centre, home to the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the esteemed Sibelius Academy. The competition is organized jointly by the Sibelius Society and Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. The competition board consists of chairman Lauri Ratia, vice chairmen Kaarlo Hildén and Olli-Pekka Martikainen and members Lea Rahkola-Kauranen, Miisa Järvi, Päivi Arjas, Jaakko Ilves, Petri Saavalainen, Emil Viitala, Miikka Maunula and secretary Päivi Pousar.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle broadcasts the violin competition in its entirety.
Inquiries:
Päivi Pousar, Secretary General of the Sibelius Violin Competition
tel. +358 40 710 4217
paivi.pousar@uniarts.fi
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