58th International Violin Competition
"Premio Paganini"
The Premio Paganini announces the 24 finalists
The 58th International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini” reaches one of its most exciting moments with the announcement of the 24 talented violinists selected for the final rounds, to be held in Genoa from October 14 to 26, 2025.
A record number of nine violinists have been admitted directly, having recently won first, second, or third prizes in competitions affiliated with the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC). The remaining fifteen candidates earned their place through a highly competitive live preselection process held between April and May in five cities: Genoa, Guangzhou, Seoul, New York, and Berlin.
The auditions were evaluated by a distinguished international panel chaired by Artistic Director Nicola Bruzzo and composed of world-renowned violinists: Alexandra Conunova, Andrea Obiso (Genoa), Bin Huang (Guangzhou), Min Kim (Seoul), Timothy Chooi (New York), and Natalia Prishepenko (Berlin).
“We listened to over 100 young violinists from around the world,” says Artistic Director Nicola Bruzzo. “The technical and interpretive level we encountered this year was nothing short of extraordinary, perhaps the highest we’ve seen in a very long time. The selected candidates impressed us with an artistic maturity and musical depth rarely found at such a young age. Once again, the Paganini confirms its role as a global stage for discovering the next generation of great violinists.”
The 24 finalists will compete for the prestigious Premio Paganini through a series of public rounds: the First Preliminary Round (October 15–16) at Palazzo Tursi, the Second Preliminary Round (October 18–19), the Semifinal (October 22), and the Final Round (October 25), all taking place at Teatro Carlo Felice.
Here is the list of the 24 finalists -13 women and 11 men - with an average age of 22.3 years. The youngest participant is just 15 years old:
- ABOUZAHRA MARIAM* – Hungary / Egypt / Germany
- ALEXANDER CALVIN – United States
- CHUNG WONBEEN – South Korea
- DRAGAN SARA* – Poland
- FAN HIU SING – Hong Kong
- FURUSAWA KAORI – Japan
- HIRAI MIU – Japan
- HOU YIYANG – China
- JIN YEYEONG JENNY* – South Korea
- KAKIUCHI EMIRI – Japan
- KARLS LORENZ* – Austria
- KIM HYUN SEO* – South Korea
- KO SOHYUN – South Korea
- LI JINZHU* – China
- MA TIANYOU* – China
- MAZZON ULISSE – Italy
- MKRTICHIAN SERGEI – Russia
- MILENKOVIC TEOFIL – Italy / Serbia
- NAYA JAIME – Spain
- SERINO YUKI – Italy / Japan
- SHIM JAKE DONGYOUNG* – South Korea
- YOSHIMOTO RINO* – Japan
- ZHANG AOZHE – China
- ZOU MENG – Singapore
* Finalist admitted directly to the final stages as a prizewinner (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) of a recent edition of a violin competition affiliated with the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).
