Prize winners 2026

Suhyeon Baek

Suhyeon Baek, born in South Korea in 2013, began taking violin lessons at the age of six. From 2021 to 2024, she studied at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts. Since 2024, she has been studying under Sunny Lee at the Seoul Central Conservatory. She has won top prizes at numerous national competitions, including the Ehwa & Kyunghyang Concours and the Music Chun-chu Competition. In 2025, she gained international recognition when she won first prize at the Geneva International Music Competition, as well as the USDAM Geneva and Pirastro special prizes. Her other international honors include First Prize at the 2023 Arthur Grumiaux Violin Competition, Third Prize at the 2022 Leonid Kogan Competition, and the IMA Prize at the 2024 Ishikawa Music Academy Music Camp.

Suhyeon Baek performs Mozart's Violin Concerto, K. 216, in the finale: Video on YouTube
 

Woo Soo Hyeon

South Korean violinist Woo Soo Hyeon won numerous competitions in his home country at a young age. He received first prizes at the Eumak-Chunchoo Competition, the Sungjung Competition, the Songdang Music Competition, and the competition sponsored by Kookmin Ilbo and Hansei University. He took second place at the Eumak-Kyunghyang Music Competition. He also won the grand prize at both the Strad Competition and the Manhattan School of Music Alumni Competition. He enjoyed similar success internationally: he emerged as the winner in the violin category at the 11th Hong Kong International Music Festival. He received support from, among others, the Kumho Young Artist Program (Kumho Prodigy Program). As a soloist, Woo Soo Hyeon has already collaborated with renowned orchestras. He performed a complete violin concerto with both the Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and he also performed with the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra. He gave solo recitals at the Incheon Art Hall and the Geumam Art Hall.
 

Chunxi Liu

Chinese violinist Chunxi Liu has been attending the middle school at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing since 2025. He achieved success in international competitions at an early age. In 2021, he won third prize in Group I at the International Leonid Kogan Violin Competition in Belgium. The following year, he received first prize in Group 2 at the GSF String Music Festival in Singapore. In 2023, he won third prize in Group A at the 15th International Arthur Grumiaux Violin Competition, also in Belgium. In 2024, he won first prize in Group C at the 4th International Youth Music Competition in Hong Kong and was invited to perform at the prize winners’ concert. That same year, he received the prize for the best virtuoso piece at the “Piccolo Violino Magico” International Violin Competition in Italy. He was also nominated for the main competition in Group A at the 6th International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians in Hengqin (Zhuhai). Solo concerts have taken Chunxi Liu to the Tsuen Wan Town Hall in Hong Kong, the Taihu Theater, the Lao She Theater, and the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing.

Jayda Lu

Jayda Lu, a 14-year-old violinist from Australia, began taking violin lessons at the age of four and a half. She has been studying with Prof. Robin Wilson since 2019. In 2023, she was accepted into the Yehudi Menuhin School, marking a new chapter in her artistic career. Jayda Lu has been selected for a number of prestigious music festivals and masterclasses and has received scholarships to the Astona Music Festival, the Valdres Music Festival, the Morningside Music Bridge, and the Keshet Eilon Mastercourse. She has won numerous prizes at international violin competitions, including 3rd prize at the International Mozart Competition in Zhuhai in 2022 and 3rd prize at Il Piccolo Violino Magico in 2023. In 2024, she won first prizes at the Anton Rubinstein Competition and the International Ysaÿe Music Competition, among others.

Jayda Lu performs Bruch's Violin Concerto in the finale: Video on YouTube
 

Baiyi Tao

Violinist Baiyi Tao began playing the violin at the age of four. In 2020, he passed the entrance exam for the elementary school at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, ranking first. He is currently a freshman in the upper division at the Central Conservatory of Music’s middle school. Baiyi Tao has won numerous national and international awards. He received first prizes at the 4th Singapore International Youth Violin Competition (2025), the 14th Hong Kong International Violin Competition (2024), and the 7th International Leonid Kogan Competition (2023), among others. As a soloist, Baiyi Tao has performed with the Salzburg Soloist Chamber Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra, the FVG Orchestra, the Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni, and the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra. He appeared as a guest soloist at the opening concert of the 5th International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians in Zhuhai. He has also performed as a soloist at the “Music-Loving Zhuhai” city concert and the Singapore Music Bridge Festival. 

 

Shira Fuchs

Shira Fuchs, a 14-year-old violinist from Israel, studied until 2025 in Israel. Since 2025, she has been studying in the Julius Stern Pre-College Program at the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK) with Prof. Latica Honda-Rosenberg. She has performed as a soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (2023, 2025), the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (2023), and the Ensemble Symphonique de Genève (2025), as well as at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall (2024). She has also been featured in Keshet Eilon’s Gala concerts in Israel and New York (2024), participated in the Perlman Program for Outstanding Musicians (2025), and attended the Musica Mundi summer courses in Belgium (2023–2024), performing both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. Her achievements include 1st prize at the Keshet Eran National Competition (2023), the Gold Prize at the London Young Musician Competition (2023), the Violinist of the Year Award and Annual Maestro Violin Performance at the same competition, 1st place at the VIII Stockholm International Music Competition (2021), and 1st place at the Concert Artists International Competition (2024).

Jiachen Cao

Jiachen Cao was born in China in 2006. He first picked up a violin when he was just three years old. Since the winter semester of 2023, he has been studying in Prof. Ulrich Edelmann’s class at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. From a young age, he has won prizes at national and international competitions, including first prize at the Melbourne International Strings Festival in 2022. He has performed as a member and concertmaster of youth symphony orchestras in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau. In 2025, he served as associate concertmaster of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and performed under renowned conductors such as Klaus Mäkelä, Paavo Järvi, and Teodor Currentzis. His performances have taken him to venues including the Shenzhen Concert Hall, the Kronberg Academy, and the Casals Forum. He currently plays a violin by Joseph Ceruti (1844), on loan from the Sinfonima Foundation in Mannheim.

Jiachen Cao performs the Mendelssohn Concerto in the finale: Video on YouTube
 

Rokas Diržys

Rokas Diržys was born in Lithuania in 2008. He began playing the violin at the age of seven. Rokas now is studying at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art in the violin class of Professor Rūta Lipinaitytė-Savickienė. In 2024, he secured the First Prize at the XII International Balys Dvarionas Competition for Young Pianists and Violinists. The same year, he earned the Grand Prix at VII Vilnius International Youth Music Competition "Premio Scarlatti". In 2025 Rokas Diržyswas a diploma winner in the VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists. The same year, he earned the 1st place at both XXXII International violin competition Andrea Postacchini in Italy and the XXII International violin competition Georg Philipp Telemann in Poland. In 2026 Rokas Diržys participated in The 9th International Violin Competition Henri Marteau in Lichtenberg and was awarded Wolfgang Winkler Memorial Award for the best Bach interpretation. Rokas performs frequently as a soloist. One of his recitals in 2024 was broadcasted on Lithuania‘s National television. 

Zoja Syguda

Zoja Syguda was born in 2009 in Gdańsk (Poland). She started playing violin when she was 8. Since 2023 she has been studying at the Secondary Music School in Gdynia. In 2025 Zoja was accepted into the violin class of Philip A. Draganov with whom she is currently studying at the Pre-College in Zurich University of Arts. Despite her young age she is a major winner at over 80 national and international competitions, including the first prize and special prizes in 20th International G. Ph. Telemann Violin Competition in Poznań in 2023 and first price in the 58th edition of the Concertino Praga Competition, securing both the jury’s top prize and the audience award. In 2025 she has become an Absolute Winner at International 67th Kocian Competition in Czech Republic. In to 2026 she won the 1st prize with honors at the Swiss Youth Music Competition in Switzerland. Zoja is a chamber musician and was a part of Lusławice Youth Talented Orchestra in the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre of Music. She also had an opportunity to perform as soloist with orchestras both in Poland and abroad.