7th Mirecourt International Violin Competition
The 6th Mirecourt International Violin Competition 2021 project was funded by the European Union and the LEADER program EU
Our jury
Christian Altenburger
Christian Altenburger is an internationally renowned soloist and chambrist. He is the artistic director of the music festival Schwäbische Frühling in Germany and of the Loisiarte Festival in Austria. Contemporary music takes a prominent place in his career as his discography proves it. Since 2001, he is professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Nora Chastain
Nora Chastain is regularly invited as a soloist by worldwide renowned orchestras conducted by prestigious artistic directors. Many composers wrote to her contemporary works she created. As a chambrist, she founds the Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet and the Kreisleriana Trio, both invited in major festivals. She teaches at Berlin University of the Arts and counts among her students many international-competition-prizewinners and accomplished artists.
Hu Kun
Hu Kun is an accomplished conductor and violinist. First chinese violinist to have a career as a soloist in the 80s, he played with internationally renowned orchestras and on worldwide stages. He founded in London his own orchestra he conducts. He is regularly invited in international competitions as jury member, he is professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London and regularly gives masterclasses in festivals.
Lavard Skou Larsen
Many-prize-winner as a soloist and a chambrist, Lavard Skou-Larsen teaches since 1991 in Mozarteum University Salzburg. He founds his orchestra the same year, fonde la même année son orchestre, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, and makes a brilliant international career as a regular guest and conductor in festivals. He is very involved in contemporary and French creation as well.
Alissa Margulis
Alissa Margulis is an acclaimed violinist and considered as one of the most talented artist of her generation. She worked with the most brilliant conductors and international orchestras. Alongside her soloist commitment, she makes her career as a chambrist and is regularly invited in numerous festivals. She teaches at the Folkwang University of the Arts.
Mihaela Martin
Mihaela Martin is an exceptional violinist regularly invited to play with prestigious orchestras all around the world and with brilliant conductors. Chamber music takes an important place in her career and founds the Michelangelo String Quartet. She is the artistic director of the Rolandseck Festival. She teaches at the Cologne Music University, at the Barenboim–Said Academy in Berlin and at the Kronberg Academy.
Marianne Piketty
"Density, ardor, virtuosity, interiority, generosity": this is how the press welcomes the violinist who is developing an eclectic career where solo concerts, recitals, chamber music, original duets, great repertoire, works to discover and contemporary creations. Marianne Piketty is a professor at the National Conservatory of Music in Lyon and gives numerous masterclasses in Europe. She is the artistic director of the Mirecourt International Music Meetings, and of course of the string ensemble she founded, Le Concert Idéal.
Our pianists accompanists
Antoine de Grolée
Winner of the 2007 Long-Thibaud competition and finalist of the 2018 Chopin competition on historical instruments, Antoine de Grolée is graduated from Lyon National Conservatory. He is regularly invited in prestigious festivals and gives recitals and chamber music concerts everywhere in France and abroad. He accompanies violin classes of Svetlin Roussev and Michaël Hentz, and cello class of Michel Strauss in Paris National Conservatory. Since 2014, he is artistic director of Musical moments festival in Rabastens in France.
Yukako Morikawa
was born in Tokyo, Japan. She took piano lessons from Ikuko Yamaguchi, Yasuko
Kubota and Prof. Atuko Jinzai. She studied at Toho Music High School Tokyo under
Kyoko Ohashi, later under Prof. Martin Hughes and Prof. Rainer Becker at
Universität der Künste Berlin, graduated „Diplom“. She continued studying on the
Soloist course “Konzertexamen” under Prof. Robert Benz at Staatliche Hochschule für
Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim and completed her “Konzertexamen” with
the best score.
She participated various master cources – under Bernhard Wambach, Théodore
Paraskivesco, Bernard Ringeissen and Bruno Leonardo Gelber, in 2001 Participation
in the 6th Hamamatsu International Piano Academy (under Hiroko Nakamura, John
O’Conor, Sergio Perticaroli, Jacques Rouvier and Oxana Yablonskaya).
She won the prizes at the various international competitions in Rome, in Calabria, in
Epinal, in Barcelona und beim Brahms-Wettbewerb in Pörtschach with the chamber
music.
Her performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto KV466 with the Berlin Symphony
Orchestra received high acclaim and she has been invited back every year since. She
has already more than 20 appearances at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall.
Yukako Morikawa is a devoted chamber musician, and has been invited by many
international festivals to perform with musicians.
Additionally the performance of Yukako Morikawa was broadcasted among NDR, HR,
SWR and Schweizer Radio DRS2.
She serves on Faculty of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and the
Universität der Künste Berlin as a collaborative pianist. She works regularly as
official pianist for international competitions and the instrumental masterclasses with
such eminent artists as, Nora Chastain, Ana Chumachenco, Mark Gothoni, Stephan
Picard, Christian Tetzlaff, Elisabeth Weber, Antje Weithaas or Laura Ruiz Ferreres.
Prizes and awards
Download information regarding competition registration and rules by clicking HERE
Final, Gala and public awards ceremony
With the-Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lorraine, conducted by William Le Sage – Programming of Concerts Classiques d'Épinal. Possible work list on the subscription form above.
The final will be recorded and broadcasted on Violin Channel for instance.
Semi-finalists will play for the closing gala before the award ceremony with our pianists.
The Final and the Gala on video
The Final and the Gala in photos
The Finalists
Semi-Finals
A 60-minute-recital including:
1. A piece for violin and piano among Schubert and Beethoven sonatas
2. A French sonata for violin and piano
3. A free-chosen-virtuoso-piece for solo violin or with piano
Possible work list on the subscription form above.
The Semi-Finalists
First round public auditions
A 30-minute-programme for solo violin with a Paganini caprice, a piece by J.S. Bach and a contemporary French piece (Possible work list on the subscription form above).
Opening concert
Operning gala by Qingzhu Weng, winner of the previous competition and Slava Guerchovitch, winner of the last edition of the Epinal International Piano Competition.
The Candidates 2023
