The Novo Quartet wins Concours de Genève

Florence Lockheart
Monday, October 30, 2023

The competition's second prize was awarded jointly to Quartett Hana and Quatuor Elmire, while the third prize was not awarded this year

As well as taking home the first prize, the Novo Quartet also won the audience prize, young audience prize, the students' prize and the Concerts de Jussy special prize © Anne-Laure Lechat
As well as taking home the first prize, the Novo Quartet also won the audience prize, young audience prize, the students' prize and the Concerts de Jussy special prize © Anne-Laure Lechat

The Novo Quartet has been announced as the winner of this year’s Concours de Genève. Following the competition final, which took place on 29 October at Geneva’s Victoria Hall, the Copenhagen-based quartet was awarded the first prize, worth CHF 20,000 (£18,273).

Also taking home the publicly-voted audience prize (CHF 1,500/£1,370), the Novo Quartet were voted winners of the young audience prize (CHF 1,000/£913) by a group of students from schools in Geneva, and the students' prize (CHF 1,000/£913) awarded by a group of students from the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Music and Department of Musicology. The quartet also won the competition’s Concerts de Jussy special prize (CHF 4,000/£3,654) which will see them give a prizewinners concert tonight at the Temple de Jussy.

The Belcea Quartet’s Corina Belcea, who chaired the jury, said: ‘The atmosphere of Competition felt more like a festival, and I know that all of the Quartets will have a fantastic career ahead of them, and we’ll be delighted to hear them many times in the future. There was no Third Prize awarded this year, as we felt the standard was just so high.’

The Concours de Genève second prize of CHF 12,000 (£10,964) was awarded jointly to Quartett Hana and Quatuor Elmire. The CHF 5000 (£4,568) Fondation Etrillard prize was awarded by the jury to Quatuor Elmire for presenting ‘the most remarkable personal artistic project during the semi-final round.’

The Novo Quartet, founded in Copenhagen in 2018 and now based in Vienna and Copenhagen, consists of violinists Kaya Kato Møller and Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard, violist Daniel Śledziński and cellist Signe Ebstrup Bitsch. The quartet adds this latest prize to previous accolades including second prize at the Nielsen Competition in Copenhagen, first prize at the Steels-Wilsing Competition in Heidelberg and second prize at the Trondheim Competition.