Helmed by President Konstantin Ishkhanov and Artistic Director Pavel Vernikov, this extraordinary event offers violinists around the world an unparalleled opportunity to shine on the international stage, compete for prestigious awards and propel their career to new heights. This Grand Finale comes on the back of a groundbreaking preselection stage which took place across six iconic music capitals – Tokyo, Vienna, New York, London, Rome, and Dubai – with the top two contestants from each event being invited to compete in the Zabeel Theatre in Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah.
Now, 12 talented musicians, representing Armenia, China, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden, the USA, South Korea, Germany and Spain have successfully advanced through this rigorous preliminary phase and are ready to showcase their skills on the global stage. Here, each of them will present an intense six-phase programme in front of a distinguished 25-member jury. Contestants will showcase their artistry through a series of performances, beginning with orchestral works alongside the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra and Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, before taking on the role of concertmaster and leading the ensemble themselves for the second round.
This will be followed by a special performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano alongside acclaimed soloists Itamar Golan and Alexander Chaushian and a full orchestra. Finally the participants will interpret a work by Composer-in-Residence Alexey Shor, before presenting a solo encore and then engaging in a Q&A session with the jury board, providing insight into their artistic processes and personalities.
The eventual champion will be awarded a spectacular €200,000 grand prize, while all 11 runners-up will receive €10,000, along with a variety of Special Prizes that will also be on offer. Moreover, beyond the monetary rewards, the competition also offers invaluable opportunities for exposure and career advancement, as jurors will select finalists for future performance engagements, while performances will be broadcast globally throughout the entire competition, supported by major media partners including Euronews, medici.tv, The Violin Channel, and Bachtrack.
