From 13th to 19th of February 2017 the fifth edition of the International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists took place in Vilnius, Lithuania. The competition named after Jascha Heifetz is one of the finest violin competitions and a widely followed music event in Lithuania. It fosters the timeless musical legacy of the violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz.
The 6 finalists of the competition were Dmytro Udovychenko, Rennosuke Fukuda, Mayu Ozeki, Bernardas Petrauskas, Yurina Arai, Stepan Starikov. They played the final round with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Modestas Pitrénas.
Because the International Jascha Heifetz Competition For Violinists is taking place only every 4 years, according to the new EMCY Prize winner concept, 2 EMCY Prizes had been awarded to Dmytro Udovychenko from Ukraine (2nd prize) and 17 year old VC Young Artist Rennosuke Fukuda from Japan (3rd prize).
Yurina Arai, from Japan, has been awarded the 1st prize. Finalists Stepan Starikov and Mayu Ozeki were awarded ‘‘Diploma’’ acknowledgments. The 2017 ‘’Audience Prize’’ was awarded to 24 year old Bernardas Petrauskas from Lithuania.
Also this year´s international jury was prominently composed and headed by the world famous violinist Gidon Kremer. From the outset of this competition Gidon Kremer always returned to the International Jascha Heifetz Competition. The event aroused a great public interest and the concerts in the hall of the National Philharmonic Society were sold out.
During the competition the head of the jury, Gideon Kremer, played an sold-out concert with the Kremerata Baltica, celebrating his 70st birthday and the 20st anniversary of the orchestra. This concert as well as the final concert of the International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists concluded the “Homage a Heifetz”, an activity of GIVE MUSIC A FUTURE about multiculturalism and the intercultural dialogue.
Watch the live broadcast here.
