12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition begins on 16 September in Hanover

From 16 to 28 September 2024 23 of the world's top violin talents will perform at the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover. Audiences can look forward to world-class concerts at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH) and the NDR Konzerthaus. To reach the finals, competitors must demonstrate their instrumental excellence, artistic personality, and concert charisma across two preliminary concert rounds and two semi-final concerts. Tickets for all concerts are on advance sale. The entire competition will also be broadcast in a live stream.

The competition is organised every three years by the Stiftung Niedersachsen. In 2024, the renowned violinists Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille will oversee the artistic directorship for the second time. Cooperation partners of the Stiftung Niedersachsen are the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Warner Classics, the Fritz Behrens Stiftung, the G. Henle Verlag, the Kronberg Academy and the karsten witt musik management GmbH. NDR Kultur is cultural partner of the competition. In addition, more than 30 concert partnerships have been arranged with renowned festivals, orchestras and concert halls. The Violin Channel, The Strad and Amadeus TV are supporting the 2024 competition as media partners.

World-class competition | The participants arriving in Hanover soon come from 10 nations. The program includes five competition rounds, offering a diverse array of musical challenges, enabling participants to showcase their unique talents and artistic personalities in various ways. ”Musical life needs great music from outstanding musicians. Together with our partners, we aim to promote artistic excellence and enable musical encounters with exceptional young talents in Hanover”, says Antje Weithaas. ”In Hanover, we offer a launchpad for a solo career on the world's stages. The competition repertoire has been adapted to meet the challenges of the current concert business, posing significant demands on the 23 musicians”, adds Oliver Wille.

The participants, aged 16 to 31, will perform solo programmes as well as collaborate with renowned artists and orchestras. In 2024, these will be the pianists Thomas Hoppe, Boris Kusnezow and Paul Rivinius, the Munich Chamber Orchestra and members of the Kuss Quartet, as well as the NDR Radiophilharmonie under the baton of Stephan Zilias, General Music Director of the Hanover State Opera and one of this year's competition jurors.

The competition begins on 16 September with two preliminary rounds in the Richard Jakoby Hall of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH). The first preliminary round features solo programs and violin sonatas, followed by violin and piano sonatas in the second round. Only eight participants will advance to the two semi-final concerts after two preliminary rounds. In the first semi-final round from 22 September, also at the HMTMH, the participants will showcase their leadership skills by performing in a play-and-conduct chamber concert with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, featuring works by Mozart and Bartók. The second round of the semi-final requires them to perform a recital of just over an hour, a challenging concert programme of their own choice. This recital must include the first violin part of a movement from a string quartet by Joseph Haydn, with the sheet music being distributed not before the semi-finalists have been announced. This piece must be performed alongside Jana Kuss, William Coleman and Mikayel Hakhnazaryan from the Kuss Quartet.

On the evening of 25 September, the jury will announce the three finalists. On 28 September, they will perform a major concert for violin and symphony orchestra and present the world premiere of ‘Feder’, the 2024 commissioned work by Enno Poppe, in the Großer Sendesaal of the NDR Konzerthaus. With ‘Feder’, Enno Poppe has composed an inspiring challenge for the finalists, exploring the musical diversity of the instrument's four strings.

The jury | The jury of the 2024 competition consists of internationally renowned and distinguished musical personalities, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences from their own concert and musical careers: Soprano Juliane Banse will chair the jury and carry out the assessments together with violinists Lorenza Borrani, Feng Ning, Liza Ferschtman, András Keller (from the semi-final onwards), Gidon Kremer (final only) and Kathrin Rabus as well as violist Kim Kashkashian, pianist Alexander Lonquich (from the semi-final onwards) and conductor Stephan Zilias. In the preliminary rounds, each jury member has eight votes. The eight participants with the most votes will advance to the semi-finals. After the semi-finals, the jury members may cast three ‘Yes’ votes to nominate the three finalists. The main prize of 30.000 euro, the ‘Joseph Joachim’, will be decided among the finalists by a direct vote: at least six out of the ten jury members must vote in favor to award the main prize. If an absolute majority cannot be achieved, a second round of voting will be held, and the competitor with the fewest votes will be excluded.

Strong partnerships | The success of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition is rooted in collaborations with key cultural and musical institutions in Hanover and Lower Saxony. ”The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition sets international standards. It can only do this thanks to the longstanding cooperation with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, the NDR Radiophilharmonie and NDR Kultur, as well as the Fritz Behrens Stiftung. We are deeply grateful for this longterm collaboration”, says Lavinia Francke, General Secretary of Stiftung Niedersachsen. ”The Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media provides excellent support and training for young talents. Opening our institution to the competition every three years is a great concern, an honour and a pleasure for us”, emphasises Oliver Wille, Vice President and Commissioner for Art at HMTMH since 2021, adding: ”The competition also resonates internally. The jurors of the 2024 competition Alexander Lonquich, Feng Ning, Kim Kashkashian and András Keller will be guests in the interdisciplinary COLOURFUL BOX format and work directly with our students”. Matthias Ilkenhans, Manager of the NDR Radiophilharmonie, emphasises the orchestra's commitment to the competition: ”The orchestra appreciates the international appeal of the competition. The grand final concerts are always wonderful and special moments for the orchestra, and this year is a premiere, with Stephan Zilias conducting the NDR Radiophilharmonie for the first time”. Since 2003, the Fritz Behrens Stiftung has awarded a violin by Italian violin maker Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (Parma, ca. 1765) to a prizewinner. ”Young talented musicians need particularly good instruments to develop their artistry. The Fritz Behrens Stiftung's valuable instrument will accompany a young artist for three years, significantly contributing to their artistic growth”, says a delighted Matthias Fontaine, Chairman of the Fritz Behrens Stiftung.

Prizes | The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition awards highly endowed monetary prizes, which are provided by the Stiftung Niedersachsen. The main prize, the ‘Joseph Joachim’, is endowed with 30,000 euros. However, all three finalists are winners and will carry the title of ‘Laureate’. Monetary prizes of 10,000 euros each are awarded already to those who reach the final. Other cash prizes include the 2,000 euro audience prize, which will be awarded by the audience in the NDR Konzerthaus on the final day, and the 5,000 euro prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work, to be awarded by Enno Poppe, the composer of the commissioned work 2024, together with the jury. Jana Kuss, William Coleman and Mikayel Hakhnazaryan from the Kuss Quartet will also award 3,000 euros for the best chamber music performance among the semi-finalists.

In addition to these cash prizes, there are several prestigious non-monetary prizes: With the international label Warner Classics and the publishing house G. Henle Verlag, which specialises in Urtexts, two musical heavyweights will once again be partners of the competition in 2024. Warner Classics will select a participant to produce a debut album, which will be internationally promoted and marketed. The G. Henle Verlag will provide vouchers for Urtext sheet music editions, both in printed and digital form. Other non-cash prizes include the loan of the valuable Guadagnini violin from the Fritz Behrens Stiftung. The Kronberg Academy and karsten witt musik management GmbH are new additions to the programme. karsten witt musik management GmbH will sponsor one participant with a kwmm Academy music management course, while the Kronberg Academy will sponsor two young violinists to take part in its violin masterclass.

Additionally, more than 30 international concert invitations from major organisers and orchestras will be awarded to participants from the semi-final onwards. More than 20 partners will attend the competition to listen and select live onsite. The partners include the Kölner Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Residentie Orkest The Hague and the Filharmonia Poznańska as well as festivals such as the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Spannungen Heimbach and the Brandenburg Summer Concerts.

Accompanying programme | On Thursday, 26 September, five semi-finalists of the competition will play special concerts throughout Lower Saxony in the concert series ‘Zu Gast in Niedersachsen’ (The Competition across the state). In 2024, the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition will be a guest at Fürstenberg Castle Museum near Holzminden, St Marienberg Monastery Church in Helmstedt, St Bartholomew's Church in Neuenkirchen, Ruller Haus in Wallenhorst-Rulle and Gödens Castle near Sande. Tickets can be purchased from the concert organisers on-site.

Three music education projects are also offered in 2024: With the formats ‘School classes as guests at the competition’, ‘Young reporters’ and ‘Showtime’, the competition will once again open up exciting approaches to the world of classical music for children, teenagers and young adults. School classes from Hanover, Oldenburg, Braunschweig and Nienburg will attend competition concerts. As part of ‘Showtime’, young filmmakers will accompany the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition with their cameras and present their final film on the final day at the NDR Konzerthaus. The ‘Young Reporters’ try their hand at music journalism and music reporting.

Every three years since 1991, the Stiftung Niedersachsen has been organising the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, named after the famous violinist, composer and pedagogue Joseph Joachim. Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille have been the artistic directors and hosts of the competition since 2019. With the competition, they are giving curious young violinists the chance to showcase their instrumental excellence and demonstrate the courage to be individual. The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).

Dates and venues 2024
The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition will be held from 16 to 28 September 2024 in the ‘Richard Jakoby Saal’ of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and in the ‘Großer Sendesaal’ of the ‘NDR Konzerthaus’ in Hanover.

Advance ticket sales and livestream
Tickets for the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition are on advance sales via the ticket portal reservix.de and at all affiliated advance booking offices, including the advance booking office at the Künstlerhaus Hannover. All competition concerts will also be streamed live at www.jjv-hannover.de

Participants 2024
23 young violinists from 10 countries will be travelling to Hanover for the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition. The participants come from South Korea, Japan, China, Germany, Hungary, Austria, the USA, Canada, Russia and Great Britain. Ten participants are currently living and studying in Europe, seven of them in Germany. The average age is 22. Two participants are only 16 years old, the oldest participant is 31 years old.

Artistic Directors
Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille
Antje Weithaas, 1st prize winner of the first Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in 1991, has been the director since 2019. Today, she is one of the most internationally recognised violin virtuosos and a world-class violin teacher. As a soloist, Antje Weithaas works with the world's most renowned orchestras. As a inspiring play-lead of play-conduct projects, she was responsible for the musical profile of the Camerata Bern for almost ten years as its artistic director. Her CD recordings are reference recordings and have met enthusiastic reactions, such as the complete recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas with Dénes Várjon or the solo sonatas and partitas by Bach and Ysaÿe.

Oliver Wille continues the competition's close cooperation with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH). He has been a professor of string chamber music there since 2011 and leads an internationally successful quartet class, among other projects. Since 2021, he has been the university's Vice President and Commissioner for the Arts. As a founding member of the innovative, acclaimed Kuss Quartet, he has helped defining chamber music for more than 30 years. In addition to an international concert career, the Kuss Quartet has become known for its new concert formats. Oliver Wille has also been the artistic director of the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker since 2015.

About Stiftung Niedersachsen
The Stiftung Niedersachsen has been committed to art, culture, science and education throughout the state since 1987. As a state cultural foundation, it strengthens the diversity of culture in Lower Saxony by supporting non-profit projects and helps to raise the profile of the cultural location. Each year, the foundation supports around 200 projects and is itself operationally active with funding programs.