The jury has decided
The Motus Quartet wins the 10th International JOSEPH JOACHIM Chamber Music Competition
At the last competition in 2022, three piano trios shared the prizes. At this year's 10th International JOSEPH JOACHIM Chamber Music Competition at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar (30 March to 5 April), the spotlight is on string quartets.
The first prize of €10,000 was awarded to the Motus Quartet from Austria. The second prize of €5,000 went to the Malion Quartet from Germany. The third prize of €2,500 was won by the Davidoff Trio, also from Germany.
The prizes were awarded at the festive prizewinners' concert on Saturday evening, 5 April in the Festsaal Fürstenhaus of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar. Three special prizes, donated by the NEW LISZT FOUNDATION, were also awarded there.
The special prize of €1,000 for the best interpretation of a work from the category ‘Composed after 1970’ goes to the Paddington Trio (United Kingdom). The special prize (€1,000) for the best interpretation of a work from the category ‘Early Classical’ goes (in addition to the 1st prize) to the Motus Quartet. The special prize (€1,000) for an especially talented ensemble goes to the Trio Sheliak (Italy).
A total of 23 piano trios and string quartets from across Europe, the United States and Canada travelled to the 10th International JOSEPH JOACHIM Chamber Music Competition, which is organised by the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar every four years. The high-calibre, international jury was chaired by Prof. Anne-Kathrin Lindig. The next competition will take place in Weimar in 2029.
Founded in Vienna in 2022, the Motus Quartet is currently studying with Johannes Meissl at the University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw) in Vienna. The members are Tim Pieter De Vries (violin), Karla Križ (violin), Erin Carter Pitts (viola), and Domonkos Peter Hartmann (cello). At the mdw International Summer Academy 2023, it was awarded the Artis Quartet Prize and the Wiener Klassik Prize.
In April 2023, the Motus Quartet made its debut at the Wiener Konzerthaus. In March 2024, it made its debut at the Wiener Musikverein and in October 2024 at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Further concerts have taken the ensemble to Taiwan, Tunisia, the USA, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland. For the 2024/25 season, performances are planned in Great Britain, France and India, among other places.
Founded in Frankfurt am Main in 2018, the Malion Quartet has already won prizes and awards at the German Music Competition, the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and the International String Quartet Competition of the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation. The members are Alex Jussow (violin), Miki Nagahara (violin), Lilya Tymchyshyn (viola) and Bettina Kessler (cello).
The ensemble has performed at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Kölner Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall London, Izumi Hall Osaka and the Cité de la musique in Paris, among others. This was followed by invitations to the Rheingau Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker and Podium Esslingen.
In 2021, the year it was founded in Mainz, the Davidoff Trio was named the winner of the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition. The members are Johannes Wendel (violin), Christoph Lamprecht (cello) and Yona Sophia Jutzi (piano). Since then, the trio has pursued an active concert career throughout Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and has performed at festivals such as the Brixen Classics Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Festival Musikdorf Ernen and the Swiss Chamber Music Festival Adelboden.
In 2024, the trio won 3rd prize at the International Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award in Lugano (Switzerland). The musicians are currently studying for their Master's in Chamber Music at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen with Prof. Thomas Hoppe.
Further information:www.hfm-weimar.de/joachim
[6 April 2025]