The participants of the 2024 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover have been chosen

The Stiftung Niedersachsen invites 24 young violinists from 12 countries to the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover. A total of 131 musicians applied. The selected participants will now present themselves in front of the international jury, concert organisers, the Hanoverian audience and an international audience via livestream from 16 to 28 September 2024. In addition to the chance of an international solo career, the main award "Joseph Joachim", endowed with 30,000 euros, as well as 10,000 euros for each the three finalists and high-class concert engagements are provided. The production and international distribution of a debut album, sheet music vouchers and the loan of a valuable violin are also among the awards. The final concerts alongside the ‘NDR Radiophilharmonie’ under the baton of Stephan Zilias will take place on 28 September 2024 at the ‘NDR Konzerthaus’ in Hanover.

The pre-selection jury was made up of renowned musicians with close ties to the major orchestras in Hanover: Oliver Kipp (section leader of the 'NDR Radiophilharmonie'), Anna Lewis (principal violist of the 'NDR Radiophilharmonie') Kathrin Rabus (former 1st concertmaster of the 'NDR Radiophilharmonie'), Reynard Rott (principal cellist of the Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hanover) and Friederike Starkloff (1st concertmaster of the Basel Symphony Orchestra). They made their decision based on the application videos submitted, each featuring a recording of two movements of a sonata by Béla Bartók and a work by Franz Schubert.
"It was a great honour for us to be responsible for the pre-selection of the competition. The standard of all the applicants was impressively high. Nevertheless, there were performances that directly touched us musically and artistically. We wish the 24 candidates every success in the competition and a good time in Hanover", said Friederike Starkloff on behalf of the jury.

Most of the selected participants are nationals from Asia, including South Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong. Four participants are from European countries (Germany, Hungary, Austria, Finland). The USA and Canada are also represented by four people. One participant comes from Russia and one from Great Britain. However, eleven participants are currently living and studying in Europe alone, seven of them in Germany. Five participants have already taken part in the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in 2021 or 2018. The average age is just under 23. Two participants are only 16 years old, the oldest participant is 31 years old. In total, the Stiftung Niedersachsen received applications from 27 nations. Applicants from South Korea (24), China (18), the USA (18), Japan (17) and Germany (14) were strongly represented.

Over the coming months, the 24 selected musicians will now prepare for the competition's challenging repertoire. The competition programme consists of up to five rounds: Solo, accompanied by first-class pianists, playing with a quartet and with a chamber music ensemble, as well as a major symphony concert alongside the 'NDR Radiophilharmonie'. Only eight of the candidates will reach the semi-finals. They must present a recital of their own design with a textual introduction there. Three candidates will reach the final on 28 September 2024, which will include a major symphony concert and the world premiere of a work by Enno Poppe, commissioned by Stiftung Niedersachsen for the competition. All participants will receive the composition at the end of June.

The table can be scrolled to the left and right! 

First name	Last name	Age	Nationality	Currently lives in
Leonhard	Baumgartner	17	Austria	Austria
Angela	Chan	27	Hong Kong	USA
Jacques	Forestier	19	Canada	Canada
Nicholas	Hammel	23	USA	USA
Yeyeong Jenny	Jin	20	South Korea	USA
Gáspár	Kelemen	16	Hungary	Hungary
Gaeun	Kim	16	South Korea	South Korea
Alexander Won-Ho	Kim	31	South Korea	Germany
Hyein	Koo	23	South Korea	USA
Maria	Lundina	23	Russia	Russia
Jason	Moon	24	USA	USA
Yukari	Ohno	29	Japan	Austria
Eunjoong	Park	23	South Korea	South Korea
Kyumin	Park	27	South Korea	Germany
Tami	Pohjola	27	Finland	Finland
Jake Dongyoung	Shim	22	South Korea	South Korea
Louisa	Staples	24	Great Britain	Germany
Hannah	Tam	18	Hong Kong	USA
Rina	Tanaka	21	Japan	Japan
Saki	Tozawa	23	Japan	Germany
Alexandra	Weissbecker	22	Germany	Germany
Claire	Wells	23	USA	Germany
Xunyue	Zhang	20	China	Germany
Meng	Zou	21	China	Singapur

The Stiftung Niedersachsen has been organizing the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition since 1991. Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille have been the artistic directors and hosts of the competition since 2019. With the competition, they give curious young violinists the chance to impress with their instrumental excellence, to show humility towards composers and their scores, to demonstrate the courage of their individuality and to make direct musical statements with the instrument.

Dates and venues
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.

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.

Artistic directorship
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 renowned violin virtuosos and a world-class violin teacher. As a soloist, Antje Weithaas works with the world's leading orchestras. For almost ten years, she was also responsible for the musical profile of the Camerata Bern as its artistic director. Her CD recordings are reference recordings and are met by enthusiastic reactions, such as the complete recordings of the solo sonatas and partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach and the solo sonatas by Eugène 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 things. He has been Vice President of the university since 2021. As a founding member of the innovative, acclaimed Kuss Quartet, he has been defining chamber music for more than 25 years. In addition to their international concert activities, the four have become known for their new concert formats. The renowned violinist has also been the director of the ‘Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker’ since 2015.

Competition jury
The competition jury stands for a diverse view of the participants: Soprano Juliane Banse will chair the jury and carry out the assessments together with violinists Ana Chumachenco, Lorenza Borrani, Ning Feng, Liza Ferschtman, Gerhard Schulz, violist Kim Kashkashian, pianist Robert Levin and conductor Stephan Zilias.

Partner
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. The radio channel ‘NDR Kultur’ is a cultural partner of the competition. In addition, there are more than 30 partnerships established with renowned festivals, orchestras and concert halls.