Shared first prize: Angela Chan and Jacques Forestier are the winners of the 12th Joseph Joachim Violin Competition

Since 1991, the Stiftung Niedersachsen has been organising the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition every three years, 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 to courageously demonstrate their individuality. The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).

Dates and venues 2024
Joseph Joachim Violin Competition took place from 16 to 28 September 2024 in Hanover/Germany. The preliminary and semi-final rounds took place at the “Richard Jakoby Saal” of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Concert venue of the final was the “Großer Sendesaal” of the “NDR Konzerthaus” in Hanover.

All the competition concerts can be watched and listened to again on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephJoachimTV

Participants 2024
21 young violinists from nine countries travelled to Hanover for the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition. The participants are from South Korea, Japan, China, Germany, Hungary, the USA, Canada, Russia and the UK. Nine participants currently live and study in Europe, seven of them in Germany. The average age was 22. Two participants are only 16 years old, the oldest participant is 31 years old.

Competition jury
The jury of the 2024 competition consisted of internationally renowned and distinguished personalities who brought very different perspectives and experiences from concert and musical life to their assessment: Soprano Juliane Banse chaired the jury and carried 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.

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 an 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.

Partners
The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition brings together important institutions from Hanover and Lower Saxony's musical life. The Stiftung Niedersachsen cooperates with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the Fritz Behrens Stiftung, Warner Classics and the G. Henle publishing house, Kronberg Academy and karsten witt musik management GmbH. NDR Kultur is a cultural partner of the competition. In addition, more than 30 concert partnerships have been concluded with renowned festivals, orchestras and concert halls. The Violin Channel, The Strad and Amadeus TV will accompany the 2024 competition as media partners.

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.