Violinist Rebecca Roozeman wins the €12,000 Oskar Back first prize
The 30th edition of the Netherlands Violin Competition (NVC) took place from 10–31 January in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The competition was divided into separate categories according to age.
For the Oskar Back Prize, which was open to violinists aged 18–26, finalists were accompanied by the Residentie Orkest, conducted by Otto Tausk. The €12,000 first prize was awarded to Dutch–Finnish violinist Rebecca Roozeman, along with the €1,000 audience prize.
Born in 2001, Roozeman has studied violin with Grazyna Gebert at the Espoo Music Institute, with Pekka Kauppinen at the Sibelius Academy, and with Mi-Kyung Lee at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, where she is now pursuing her master’s degree with Lena Neudauer.
Among her accolades, Roozeman has won the first prizes of the 2018 Leonid Kogan Competition and the 2019 Juhani Heinonen Violin Competition, and the Erkki Melartin Chamber Music Competition as the first violinist of the Seele Quartet. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Finnish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, and the Tapiola Sinfonietta.
The Oskar Back second prize of €6,000 was won jointly by violinists Luna van Leeuwen and Yente Lottman, with van Leeuwen also receiving the €1,500 industry prize. The €1,500 prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Dialogos by Hawar Tawfiq, was awarded to violinist Martine Velthuis.
For the Davina van Wely Prize, open to violinists aged 14–17, finalists were accompanied by the Britten Youth String Orchestra, conducted by Loes Visser. The €3,000 first prize was won by violinist Katja Naegele, as well as the €500 prize for the best performance of the Arensky Piano Trio. The €1,500 second prize went to violinist Wendel de Bruijne, along with the €500 prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Lux by Karmit Fadael. The €750 third prize was awarded to violinist Eline van Dijk.
For the Iordens B Prize, open to violinists aged 13–14, the €1,000 first prize was given to violinist Anne Sophie van Lier, as well as the €150 prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Mist by Aart Strootman. The €500 second prize went to violinist Ceylin Tok, and the €250 third prize to Lies Vermeer.
For the Iordens A Prize, open to violinists aged 10–12, the €1,000 first prize was won by violinist Raelene Pramana, along with the €150 prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, The sound around me! by Bianca Bongers. The €500 second prize was shared between violinists Emma Nelson and Emmanuel Akopian. The €200 encouragement prize for a violinist aged 10–11 was awarded to violinist Timur Yusupov.
This year’s jury for the Oskar Back prize was chaired by Janneke Slokkers and comprised Antti Tikkanen, Carla Leurs, Kees Hulsmann, Mikhail Zemtsov, Sonja van Beek, Theodora Geraets, Tatiana Samouil, and Howie Lien The.
‘Rebecca is a born soloist,’ said Slokkers. ‘She shows great mastery, daring to take artistic risks and played with complete sovereignty.’
Roozeman celebrated the results on social media:
‘Overjoyed to have won the most prestigious prize, [the Oskar Back Prize], together with the Public Prize… My heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved in this journey. I couldn’t have wished for better support than that of my family and friends. The wonderful organization behind [NVC] went above and beyond to make everyone feel at home throughout these weeks.
‘Special thanks to the Residentie Orkest and conductor Otto Tausk for an unforgettable and joyous final performance.’
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