120 violins from 23 different countries participated in the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition, which started Sunday, May 8, 2016. The competition takes place every five years and is organized by the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society in Poznań in cooperation with Polish Union of Artist Violin Makers and National Museum in Poznań. The instruments were judged on the level of craftsmanship as well as its functional acoustic properties. A select number of these violins were exhibited at the Spanish Hall of the National Museum of Poznan from Sunday, May 15 to Sunday, May 22, following the end of the competition. The Meccore String Quartet performed Jean Silbelius’s “String Quartet in D minor, Op. 56” during the inaugural concert of the competition. Admission to the opening ceremony was open to the public as well as the competition past the second stage of evaluations.
Laureates:
- I Prize – Grand Prix (20.000 Euro): Ji Hwan Park (violin ORSO) – South Korea
- II Prize (3.000 Euro): Ji Hwan Park (violin MASHA) – South Korea
- II Prize (3.000 Euro): Krzysztof Krupa (violin URSUS) – Poland
- III Prize (2.000 Euro): Philippe Mahu (violin TINA) – France
Finalists:
- Piotr Pielaszek (violin JAMBI) – Poland
- Marcin Krupa (violin APUS) – Poland
- Debora Scianamé (violin NO HERO) – Italy
- Gonzalo Bayolo (violin ANGEL) – Spain
- Sungdeok Seo (violin SENTENTIAL) – South Korea
- Krzysztof Krupa (violin CAPRICORNUS) – Poland
- Marcin Krupa (violin BEATUS) – Poland
Extra-Statutory Prizes:
- Medal of Polish Artist Violin Maker Union for the highest violin-making qualities of the instrument – Ji Hwan Park (South Korea), for instrument MASHA
- Medal of Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society for the highest acoustic qualities of the instrument – Piotr Pielaszek (Poland), for instrument JAMBI
- “Złoty Groblicz” Special Prize for a highly valued ornamental qualities of the instrument – Stefan Jarosz (Poland), for instrument SPARROW
- Extra-Statutory Prize endowed by ‘Artonus’ company: violin cases for laureates of three first prizes of the competition: Ji Hwan Park, Krzysztof Krupa and Philippe Mahu (violin case Elipe – for 1st Prize Winner, violin case Quart – for 2nd Prize Winner, violin case Pico – for 3rd Prize Winner)
- Special Prize of the Polish Artist Violin Maker Union for the best non-Polish finalist of the Competition not awarded a statutory prize – pictorial album “Polska sztuka lutnicza 1954-2004” [‘Violin Making Art in Poland 1954-2004’] – Debora Scianamé, for instrument NO HERO
- Special Prize endowed by Jakub Niewczyk for highest ranked students of Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań – three batches of sycamore wood – Piotr Pielaszek, for instrument JAMBI
- Special Prize endowed by Jan Špidlen, a book “Čeští mistři houslaři Špidlenové” (‘Czech Violin Making Masters, the Špidlen family’) – Piotr Pielaszek
[Source: wieniawski.com]