Windsor Festival International String Competition

The Windsor Festival International String Competition is a music competition held in the United Kingdom for performers of violin, cello, and viola. The event is held biennially at Windsor Castle in Windsor. It aims to seek out exceptional young string soloists, and to, through the prize package, launch the winner's professional career.

In 2008, Windsor Festival launched its International String Competition in honour of Sir Yehudi Menuhin.

The Windsor Festival International String Competition (WFISC) was inaugurated in 2008 to honor the festival's founder, Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Held biennially at Windsor Castle, the competition seeks to identify and support exceptional young string soloists, providing them with opportunities to launch their professional careers. Over the years, WFISC has become one of the foremost competitions of its kind, attracting talented violinists, violists, and cellists from around the world. Notable past winners include cellist Brian O'Kane (2008), violinist Diana Galvydyte (2009), and cellist Andrew Byun (2024).

The first round is judged by submission of a video, and eight candidates out of around 200 applicants proceed through to the live rounds in Windsor, UK. The Semi-finals see each competitor perform a 45-minute public recital. Three go through to the Final round, where they compete by playing a 25-minute public recital in front of an audience in the Waterloo Chamber of the Windsor Castle.^[1] Prizes are presented by Festival Patron, HRH The Earl of Wessex.

In 2019, the number of accepted Semi-finalists increased from eight to twelve candidates. In 2021, with the global COVID-19 pandemic restricting travel across the world, the competition was held virtually.^[2]

The overall winner of the 2nd WFISC was Diana Galyvdyte from Lithuania who also won the Audience Prize, as voted for by the audience on the night of the Final. The Second Prize went to Savitri Grier.

The overall winner of the 3rd WFISC was Yuki Ito from Japan.^[3] The Second Prize went to Jiafeng Chen, and Third Prize was awarded to Michael Petrov, who also won the Audience Prize, as voted for by the audience on the night of the Final. The judging panel for the final consisted of Eugene Sarbu, Paul Silverthorne, Gustav Rivinius, Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, and Sean Bishop.

The winner of the 4th WFISC was Benjamin Baker from New Zealand. Baker also won the Audience Prize, as voted for by the audience on the night of the Final. The Second Prize went to Yuka Ishizuka, and Third Prize was awarded to Marisol Lee. The judging panel for the final consisted of Erich Gruenberg, Paul Silverthorne, Thomas Demenga, David Whelton, and Alexander Van Ingen.

The overall winner of the 5th WFISC was Ji Yoon Lee from South Korea. The Second Prize went to Timothy Ridout from Britain, and Third Prize was awarded to Elina Buksha from Latvia, who also won the Audience Prize, as voted for by the audience on the night of the Final. The judging panel for the final consisted of Erich Gruenberg, Roger Benedict, Raphael Wallfisch, David Whelton, Alexander Van Ingen, and Martin Denny.

The winner of the 6th WFISC was then 16-year-old violinist Nathan Meltzer from the United States. The second prize went to Jonian Ilias from Greece, and third prize went to Luke Hse from the United States. The jury consisted of Pierre Amoyal, Edward Vanderspar, Raphael Wallfisch, Helen Sprott, Alexander Van Ingen, and Martin Denny.^[4]

The winner of the 7th WFISC was cellist Jonathan Swensen from Denmark. The second prize was awarded to cellist Jamal Aliyev from Turkey, and the third prize was awarded to violinist Mathilde Milwidsky from England. The jury consisted of Pierre Amoyal, Wolfram Christ, David Strange, Martin Denny, Alexander Van Ingen, and Hellen Sprott. ^[5]

The winner of the 8th WFISC was violinist Daniil Bulayev from Latvia. The second prize went to Violinist SongHa Choi from South Korea, and third place went to violinist Otoha Tabata from Japan. The jury consisted of Clio Gould, Martin Outram, Jo Cole, Martin Denny, and Alexander Van Ingen. The 2021 competition was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[6]

The winner of the 9th WFISC was Canadian-Korean cellist Andrew Byun. The second prize went to violinist Leon Blekh from Belgium, and third prize went to American-Canadian cellist Leland Ko. The jury consisted of Joji Hattori, Lars Tomter, Natalie Clein, Martin Denny, Alexander Van Ingen, and James Williams. ^[7]

• List of classical music competitions#String instruments

• Official website