Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition Announces Winners
Nancy Zhou, first-place winner of the 2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, plays during her final round with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and conductor Michael Stern. Photo: SISIVC
After three weeks and over 36 hours of inspiring performances from 27 of the most talented violinists from around the world, the second Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) announces the following winners:
- First Prize: Nancy Zhou, (United States) - $100,000 and performance contracts with top orchestras
- Second Prize: Olga Šroubková, (Czech Republic) - $50,000
- Third Prize: Diana Tishchenko, (Ukraine) - $25,000
- Fourth Prize: Jia Yi Chen, (China) – $5,000
- Fifth Prize: Chang Yuan Ting, (Canada) - $5,000
- Sixth Prize: Yun Tang, (China) - $5,000
Special Awards for Humanitarian Leadership and Chinese Performance
The Isaac Stern Human Spirit Award was given to Kayhan Kalhor and the Xiaoshuijing Miao Farmers Choir in recognition of having made, “an outstanding contribution to our understanding of humanity through the medium of music.” The two winners were selected by the chair of the competition's organization committee Long Yu, Yo-Yo Ma, and members of the Stern family. Both were awarded USD $10,000.
CPIC Award: Olga Šroubková (Czech Republic) – awarded for best Chinese work performance – Qigang Chen’s La joie de la souffrance – with a cash prize of USD $10,000.
Rigorous Repertoire and Scoring Transparency
During the final round, each of the six women performed two concertos with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern – a new Chinese work by Qigang Chen and a concerto chosen from a list of standard repertoire. In previous rounds, contestants composed their own cadenzas for a Mozart concerto, played chamber music with the Shanghai Quartet and performed seven solo works. The Final Round was broadcast on Chinese television and livestreamed globally. Performances of all rounds are available online on the SISIVC YouTube channel. All jury scoring was made public. For scores, competitor and jury bios, competition process information and more, visit: http://www.shcompetition.com/en
About the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC)
The second biennial SISIVC, Shanghai's first world-class violin competition, was held from August 10 to September 1 in Shanghai, China. This competition has taken its name from Isaac Stern to commemorate the musical spirit of Maestro Stern by which a young generation of musicians can be inspired and motivated. Along with a grand prize of USD $100,000 – the highest monetary award of any international music competition – a jury of renowned artists and pedagogues, and a unique performance process, the Competition leverages Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s platform with extensive resources around the world.