The semi-final will take place on 14 September at Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum

6

Read more news stories here

Six violinists will proceed to the George Enescu International Competition semi-final on 14 September. They were whittled down from twelve violinists that performed in the second rounds on 11 and 12 September at the George Enescu Hall at the National University of Music in Bucharest in Romania. The six violinists are:

Seina Matsuoka (30, Japan)

Hiu Sing Fan (27, Hong Kong)

Wakana Kimura (23, Japan)

Anna Lee (29, US)

Hyeonjeong Lee (13, South Korea)

Mayumi Kanagawa (20, US)

The semi-final will take place on 14 September at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. Competitors will perform Enescu’s Ménétrier from Impressions d’enfance Suite 28, either Enescu’s Violin Sonata no.2 or Violin Sonata no.3 and a complete sonata of the competitor’s choice out of a list of sonatas by Brahms, Franck, Fauré, Grieg, Ravel, Hindemith, Prokofiev, Janáček, Debussy, Strauss and Poulenc.  

Three of the six competitors will be chosen to proceed to the final on 16 September, where they will play a full concerto with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra at the Romanian Athenaeum. 

The violinists are competiting for the top prize of €15,000, alongside a range of special prizes.  

The president of the jury is Dmitry Sitkovetsky. He is joined by Mihaela Martin, Liviu Prunaru, Silvia Marcovici, Shlomo Mintz, Boris Garlitsky, David Halen, Doug Sheldon and Didier de Cottignies.

Best of Technique

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Masterclass

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.