2025 - Viola | Concours de Genève

2025 - Viola

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Presentation

In 2025, the Concours de Genève offered a Viola Competition, which was held in Geneva from 4-12 November. The Competition was open to all violists born after 12 November 1995. Application deadline: 10 April 2025

 

 

 

Calendar

Prizewinners

OFFICIAL PRIZES

FIRST PRIZE EX AEQUO: CHF 20,000.-
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old       
Brian Isaacs, 25 years old

SECOND PRIZE: CHF 12,000.-
Ayaka Taniguchi (23 years old)
 


The official prizes are generously funded by the Fondation Francis & Marie-France Minkoff


SPECIAL PRIZES

AUDIENCE PRIZE: CHF 1,500.-  
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
The Audience Prize is awarded by the spectators of the Final Rounds. The finalist who receives the most ballots is the winner of this prize.

YOUNG AUDIENCE PRIZE: CHF 1,000.-
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
The Young Audience Prize is awarded by a group of students from public and private schools in Geneva, having formerly received a specific training. They evaluate the two Final Rounds.

STUDENTS' PRIZE: CHF 1,000.-
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
The Students’ Prize is awarded by a group of students from the Faculty of Music and the Department of Musicology of the University of Geneva, who evaluate both Finals. It is integrated in their official curriculum. The Students’ Prize is offered by Ms. & Mr. Hervieu-Causse.

ROSE-MARIE HUGUENIN PRIZE: CHF 10,000.–
Brian Isaacs, 25 years old
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
This prize is awarded to all the winners of the Viola Competition and gives them the opportunity to benefit from a personal grant to help them carry out their artistic projects. The grant is administered by the Competition.

ARTS SOCIETY PRIZE: CHF 3,000.–
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
The Société des Arts Prize is awarded by the Jury to one of the three finalists in the Viola Competition and consists of a chamber music concert organised by the Société des Arts as part of its mentoring programme. The winner will perform in 2026 with an experienced professional musician chosen by agreement between the Competition and the Société des Arts.

OSR MUSICIANS’ PRIZE
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
This prize is awarded by the musicians of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande to a finalist of the Viola Competition. It consists of a concert engagement during the two seasons following the award.

CONCERTS DE JUSSY PRIZE: CHF 3'000.-
Sarah Strohm, 20 years old   
The «Concerts de Jussy» Special Prize is awarded to the three prizewinners of the Viola Competition and consists in a concert at the Temple de Jussy.

FONDATION ETRILLARD PRIZE: CHF 5000.–
Ayaka Taniguchi (23 years old)
The Fondation Etrillard Special Prize is awarded by the Jury to the finalist of the Viola Competition who presents the most outstanding personal artistic project during the Semi-Final. The Foundation also commits to supporting the realization of the prizewinner’s artistic project in the years following the competition.

CHAMBER MUSIC PRIZE: CHF 2000.-
Alessandra Yang (21 years old)
The Chamber Music Special Prize is awarded by the Jury and recognizes the best performance in the chamber music round.

HINDEMITH PRIZE: CHF 3'000.-
Ayaka Taniguchi (23 years old)
For the best performance of a work by Hindemith during the semi-final and final rounds.

ODYSSÉE FRANK MARTIN PRIZE
Ayaka Taniguchi (23 years old)
Awarded to one of the three Viola laureates, this prize offers the opportunity to perform Frank Martin’s Ballade for Viola and Orchestra on 14 June 2026 in Victoria Hall with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève conducted by Thierry Fischer.


Laureates also received a special gift from our partner Pirastro Strings.

 

Semi-finalists

Finalists

At the end the semi-finals, which took place from 6-9 November in Geneva, three candidates were selected to continue to the final round. They performed in the Final Round on November 12th with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande: 

 

Jury

OFFICIAL JURY

Tabea Zimmermann, Chair
Tomoko Akasaka
Ettore Causa
Cynthia Phelps
Pauline Sachse
Jean Sulem
German Tcakulov
 


PRESELECTION JURY

Tabea Zimmermann
Tomoko Akasaka
Noémie Bialobroda
Harold Hirtz
Frédéric Kirch


Photo: Tabea Zimmermann © Marco Borggreve

Programme

A. VIDEO PRESELECTION ROUND (15-30 MINUTES)

1) One baroque piece from the following list:

  • J. S. Bach: BWV 1001-1012 (2 contrasting movements from one of the Suites, Partitas or Sonatas)
  • G. P. Telemann: 2-3 movements from one of the 12 Fantasies TWV 40:14-25
  • H. I. F. Biber: Passacaglia in C minor

2) One virtuoso Etude from the following list:

  • P. Rode: 24 Caprices: N° 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9
  • N. Paganini: 24 Caprices: N° 9, 13, 14, 16 or 20
  • F. Hermann: Concert Studies op.18: N° 1 to 6
  • M. Vieux: 20 Etudes: N° 2, 3, 5, 10 or 16

3) One piece with piano at free choice

NB: Works chosen for the Video Preselection Round may be performed again during the competition. The piece at free choice is meant to highlight candidates’ musical personality. Recording all movements of the piece at free choice is not mandatory. Candidates must join to their application a short text or video presentation (max. one page/3 minutes), introducing themselves and explaining why they want to participate in the 2025 Concours de Genève.

B. ONLINE RECITAL (MAX. 40 CANDIDATES / 30-45 MINUTES)

  1. Compulsory piece:
  • J. N. Hummel: Sonata op. 5/3 (Mvt 1 OR Mvts 2 and 3) (10')
  1. Contemporary piece(s):

Candidates must choose one or two pieces for solo viola from the list below, ensuring a minimum of 8 minutes of music in total. Combinations of two shorter pieces from different composer are allowed. Scores are available for consultation from the Competition office.

  • A. Arad: Tikvah, for viola solo (approx. 13’)
  • L. Berio: Sequenza VI (12’)
  • E. Carter: Figment IV (5.30’)
  • D. Fujikura: Engraving (8’)
  • H. Holliger: Trema (13’)
  • M. Jarrell: Some leaves II… (9’)
  • G. Knox: Three Weddings and a Fight (8’)
  • G. Kurtág: any 2-3 pieces from ‘signs, games and messages’ (approx. 5’)
  • G. Ligeti: Solo Sonata (any 1-2 movements) (approx. 8’)
  • U. Mamlock: From my garden (approx. 8’)
  • T. Murail: C’est un Jardin secret (approx. 5’)
  • S. Sciarrino: Ai limiti della notte (5’)
  1. Romantic piece:

One of the following pieces:

  • H. Sitt: Albumblätter op.39 (excerpts possible) (17’)
  • R. Fuchs: 6 Phantasiestücke op.117 (excerpts possible) (23’)
  • R. Schumann: Märchenbilder op.113 (15’)
  • R. Schumann: Fantasiestücke op.73 (arr.) (12’)
  • R. Schumann: Romances op.94 (arr.) (12’)
  • C. Schumann: Romances op.22 (arr.) (12’)

NB: The recital duration must be between 30 and 45 minutes, including stage entrances/exits and any pauses.

C. SEMI-FINAL ROUND IN 3 PARTS

PART 1 - SOLO RECITAL (MAX. 60 MINUTES)
45% of the evaluation

50-60 minute recital at free choice

  • Repertoire may include works for solo viola and/or for viola and piano.
  • Works already performed in the Online Recital may not be repeated.

NB: Candidates are encouraged to choose a varied, cohesive programme that highlights their musical personality and interpretative skills. They will need to provide a programme note (due after the preselection stage).


PART 2 - CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL
35% of the evaluation

  1. W. A. Mozart: Divertimento KV563 (movt 1-3) (26’)
     
  2. L. Berio: Naturale, for viola, percussion and electronic (19’)


PART 3 - ARTISTIC PROJECT
20% of the evaluation

Presentation and defense of a personal artistic project

  • Semi-Finalists are invited to propose an artistic project to be carried out during the two years following an official Prize in Geneva.
  • The project may take various forms. It can be purely musical in nature (recital programme, concerts tour) or involve other forms of artistic expression (visual, textual, dance) with other artists.
  • The artistic project must be an original proposal, intimately linked to the artistic personality of the semi-finalist (no projects already proposed in the past or copied from other artists).
  • The project may be presented in the form of a text, a projected presentation, a video or any other medium.
  • The project will be prepared, adapted (if necessary) and further developed during the one-month timeframe between the announcement of the semi-finalists and their arrival in Geneva. Online interactive sessions with professional coaches are organized.
  • When in Geneva, a journalist will conduct a filmed interview in English, which will allow to better understand the personality of the semi-finalist and the relevance of the artistic project.
  • The Jury will review the projects at the end of the semi-final phase. It will evaluate the project, taking into consideration its artistic interest, its originality, whether it is adapted to the artist who presents it, and its relevance in the context of the beginning of a career.
  • The Jury will take into account the report of the specialist(s) who assisted the semi-finalist and examine the stages of realization of the project, judging to what extent they are realistic.

D. FINAL ROUND WITH ORCHESTRA (3 CANDIDATES)
VICTORIA HALL, GENEVA

  1. Compulsory concerto:

L. Albisetti: “Nouvel Élan” (1st Prize of the 2024 Composition Competition) (12’)

Recording available here. Score will be sent to candidates selected for the Online Recital.

  1. One concerto at choice from the following list:
  • K. Penderecki: Viola concerto (21’)
  • S. Beamish: Viola concerto N°2 “The Seafarer” (30’)
  • B. Bartók: Viola concerto (Bartok/Dellamaggiore) (23’)
  • P. Hindemith: Viola concerto “Der Schwanendreher” (26’)

With the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

NB: The Final Round will be structured as a concert in two parts. In the first part, all three finalists will perform the compulsory concerto. After an intermission, each finalist will perform their chosen concerto.

 

Guest artists

SEMI-FINAL CHAMBER MUSIC
Mozart Divertimento 

Corina Belcea, violin
Lionel Cottet, cello

Lena Neudauer, violin
Christian Poltéra, cello


SEMI-FINAL CHAMBER MUSIC
Berio Naturale 

Marianna Bednarska, percussion
Till Lingenberg, percussion
David Poissonnier, electronics


PIANO ACCOMPANISTS

Andrei Banciu
Thomas Hoppe