In English

After the last day of the final round in the Sibelius Violin Competition, the jury completed their task and decided on the winners of the top three prizes.

The results and the decisions of the jury after the semi-final round can never please everybody, especially when the technical and artistic level of musicianship is as high as in this year’s violin competition. Hannu-Ilari Lampila has written and reviewed the Sibelius violin competition for Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest newspaper in Finland, since 2000. He didn’t hesitate one bit, when his former employer asked if he would do it again, for the fourth time, in his third year of retirement.

Nikita Boriso-Glebsky will pass on the crown...

Christel Lee was born in 1990 in Bloomington, Indiana (USA). She has studied at the Münich School of Music and Theatre, at the Kronberg Academy and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. "During my free time I read a lot. Right now I have Karl Ove Knausgård's My Struggle on my nightstand." View Christel Lee's competition performances.

Mayumi Kanagawa was born in 1994 in Frankfurt, Germany. She has studied at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and in the Colburn School in the U.S. "Asian kitchen is my passion, but unfortunately in Berlin, where I study, I can't get the kind of ingredients I'd like." View Mayumi Kanagawa's competition performances.

Nancy Zhou was born in 1993 in San Antonio, Texas (USA). She has studies at the New England Conservatory. "The second time around in the Sibelius violin competition has not brought up any specific surprises. My grandmother came over this time, and after the semi-final round she will cook a Chinese dinner for us and our host family. I'm looking forward to that!" View Nancy Zhou's competition performances.

Minami Yoshida was born in 1998 in Nara, Japan. She studies in Tokyo at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. "At first my teacher at school was upset about my participating, but finally I got a permission and even some encouragement. My violin teacher was the one who suggested taking part in this competition." View Minami Yoshida's competition performances.

Friederike Starkloff was born in Chemnitz, Germany, in 1990. She has studied at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and at The Freiburg School of Music. "The Prokofjev Sonata, which I played in the semi-final round, is awesome music, but after those thirty minutes it was tough to keep going." View Friederike Starkloff's competition performances.

Emmanuel Tjeknavorian was born in 1995 in Vienna. He has studied at the Vienna University of Music and the Performing Arts. "My biggest passion besides music is soccer and especially rooting for Real Madrid." View Emmanuel Tjeknavorian's competition performances.

Schedule for the Final Round

The Six Finalists

Humoresques don't make you laugh - they are a serious matter!

In between the rounds the competitors had a tour of The Sibelius family's home Ainola, which is normally closed during the winter months.

How to choose a sonata? On Friday the first seven semi-finalists were ready to tackle their almost hour-long repertories.

The judges teach a master class at the Sibelius Academy on Monday.

In the second round repertory of the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition the competitor can choose one of the three contemporary pieces, which received the top three awards at the first international Jean Sibelius Composition Competition. It was organized as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Finland's most prestigious composer. Besides violin music, the other categories were music for choirs and the piano. The organizer was the Sibelius Birth Town Foundation in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The members of the jury were Kaija Saariaho, chairperson, Mark Andre, Liza Lim, Magnus Lindberg and Jukka Tiensuu.

The schedule for the semi-final round

20 violinists will continue the Sibelius Violin Competition

Naoko Ichihashi is one of the five official competition pianists providing top quality support for the excited competitors.

YLE - the Finnish Broadcasting Company - is happy to serve violin lovers all over the world with live webcasts from each round throughout the competition.