Established in 1939, the Concours de Genève is a prestigious international music competition that has a mission to uncover, promote, and support young and talented artists, equipping them with the necessary tools to kickstart their global careers. The competition covers a range of main disciplines, with a different focus each year, including piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, cello, viola, string quartet, voice, percussion, and composition, which takes place every other year.
The 77th edition of the Concours de Genève will feature the string quartet competition, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 23 to November 4, 2023. This year, The Violin Channel will serve as the official media and broadcast partner, ensuring that all rounds of the string quartet competition are live-streamed and available for later viewing.
Six exceptional string quartets have advanced to the semi-finals, representing different countries:
The esteemed String Quartet jury will be composed of Corina Belcea (Chair), Stefan Fehlandt, Nobuko Imai, Gabriel Le Magadure, Christian Poltéra, Vineta Sareika, and Lydia Shelley.
The prizes for the competition are as follows:
The competition goes beyond just awards; it provides career development opportunities for its laureates. The winners will benefit from two years of management from the Sartory Artists agency, which includes an international concert tour. Moreover, the Concours de Genève offers a Prizewinners Workshop, covering various aspects such as performance, health, career management, image, and social media.
The initial phase of the competition will take place online, with selected string quartets required to submit their videos for the Online Recital by July 10. This recital will be live-streamed from September 18-20.
The public Semi-Final will be hosted in Geneva from October 24 to 28, comprising three stages: a 90-minute recital featuring one of Bartok’s quartets, followed by a 75-minute recital with one of Beethoven’s quartets and a contemporary piece.
Additionally, each semi-finalist will need to present and defend a personal artistic project, which the Concours de Genève will support in realizing as part of the Prizewinners’ Career Development Programme. This new aspect of the competition, introduced in 2022, aims to offer deeper insights into the artistic personalities of the candidates.
