By Małgorzata Kwiatkowska,KONTAKT, Poland.
International Violin Competition named after Henryk Wieniawski. It is a music competition held every five years in Poznan, paying tribute to the virtuoso and composer, Henryk Wieniawski. Violinists up to the age of 30 can take part in the competition.
The Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition is the oldest European violin competition and a member and co-founder of the World Federation of International Music Competitions based in Geneva.
The competition promotes the most promising talents of classical music. Enabling them to appear on the competition stage in front of outstanding jurors, audiences and the media.
History contest
In 1935, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Henryk Wieniawski, his nephew Adam, himself a composer, initiated international meetings of young violinists in Warsaw.
Among the winners were:
-French woman Ginette Neveu – 1st place
-Russian Dawid Ojstrach – 2 nd place
-Englishman Henry Temianka – 3 rd place
Among honored were:
-Ida Haendel,
-Bronislaw Gimpel,
-Grazyna Bacewicz.
The first competition was two-step, the second and the other ones until the eleventh – three-step. In 2001 changes were launched to the competition’s statute and it was determined that it would be played in four stages. The first stage is non-public and during the trial jurors will hear the candidates’ recordings uploaded on videotapes. The others are held with the participative of the audience. A maximum of 60 violinists are admitted to the second stage, 24 to the third and 12 to the fourth. In the final, the participants of the competition perform a concert with an orchestra.
The next International Violin Competition will take place in Poznań from 7 to 21 October 2022.
Application date: until November 15, 2021.
Watch the promotional video of the Festival
https://www.wieniawski-competition.com
