A new path
Born of the enthusiasm and energy of Pavel Vernikov, who was soon joined in this adventure by Gidon Kremer, the "Tibor Junior" violin competition saw its first edition this year.
This new kind of competition offers young candidates, aged 14 to 17, an innovative course: the very notion of "competition" is paradoxical when it comes to music, for while the idea of a confrontation and then a ranking, on the basis of a virtuoso performance, has a "sporting" ingredient that seems counter-indicated to the depth of artistic fulfillment, a certain competitiveness is nonetheless at the heart of the musician's daily practice, as he is constantly in joust with himself, confronting his abilities with his ideals and seeking to gain ground from one over the other.
The philosophy behind "Tibor Junior" echoes these observations. Young people are made aware of this, thanks to the specific features of the competition. First and foremost, participants are guaranteed anonymity. The jury knows only the candidates' names, ages and nationalities, but has no access to their background or the identity of their teachers. In this way, it is artists in their own right who are judged, not the products of a designated teaching program. The musical program, on the other hand, while retaining a few standards, tends to be more open, offering young people a happy mix of compulsory pieces and personal choices; contemporary music is also given pride of place, present in every round, with violinists encouraged to question the music of their time and to confront it rigorously rather than confine themselves to a fixed repertoire.
Another important aspect of the competition is that it includes - in every round - duets, which the "junior" violinists share with each other or with members of the jury. This unusual element is designed to emphasize the idea of communication, sharing and listening, and puts the music at the center, not the musician's ego - something that seems important to convey to artists at the dawn of their careers. From a pedagogical point of view, playing with the jury also offers a wonderful learning opportunity. This "collaboration" with the jury is also embodied by the fact that eliminated candidates automatically join the ranks of the jurors for the following rounds; they thus find themselves among prestigious soloists and pedagogues, exchanging with them - and thus developing their listening and critical skills. Their voice will count in the final deliberations - as will that of the orchestra, since, as a final feature of the "Tibor Junior" competition, all phases are held with an orchestra, the Hemu in the first round, and the Kremerata Baltica in the second round and final.
The competition has an educational focus, and a number of meetings and masterclasses are organized in conjunction with the event.
14 candidates of 11 nationalities took part in the final phase of the competition, which took place in the last week of August in Sion; the final was held at the Valère theater on September 2.
Prize list
1st PRIZE: Masha Lakisova (USA)
2nd PRIZE: Iris Scialom (France)
3rd PRIX EX AEQUO: Arthur Traelnes (Switzerland) and Qingzhu Weng (China)
Four special prizes were also awarded:
Audience Award: Arthur Traelnes (Switzerland)
Invitation to play with the Kremerata Baltica in Latvia: Arthur Traelnes (Switzerland)
Invitation to perform at the opening concert of the Il Piccolo Violino Magico Competition in 2019:Masha Lakisova (USA)
Fondation Sion Prize for violin music: Ju Seon Kim (South Korea)
