Klein International String Competition announces winners

Winners have been announced for this year’s Irving M. Klein international string competition. New York Philharmonic violinist and previous prizewinner Alina Kobialka was this year’s mentor and co-hosted the competition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Sol Joseph Recital Hall with Klein artistic director Mitchell Sardou Klein.

The grand prize was awarded to 20-year-old New York violist Pearl de la Motte, who receives a $5,000 cash prize funded by the MOCA Foundation and performance contracts of $15,000 with ensembles including the Peninsula and Santa Cruz Symphonies and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. The second prize went to 18-year-old cellist Amelia Zitoun from Wisconsin. She received a cash prize of $3,500 and a performance opportunity with the San José Chamber Orchestra valued at $5,500. The $2,500 third prize went to 18-year-old Alabama violinist Francis Tsai.

Two fourth prizes of $1,500 each were awarded to 17-year-old Texan cellist Hannah and 23-year-old Korean violinist Yeji Lim. de la Motte also won the award for best performance of the competition commission by John Wineglass, while Francis Tsathe gave the best performance of solo Bach. Semifinalists Evelyn Joung (cello), Wanxinyi Huang (viola) and Christian Luevano (bass) each received an award of $1,000.

As well as a programme of Bach and movements from concerti and sonatas, all contestants premiered works by this year’s commissioned composer John Wineglass. Wineglass also sat on the competition jury alongside  San José Chamber Orchestra music director, Barbara Day Turner; violinist and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra principal conductor, Jory Fankuchen; Santa Cruz Symphony music director, Daniel Stewart; former principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music faculty member, Hal Robinson; Cleveland Orchestra principal cellist, Mark Kosower and former violist and co-founder of the Alexander String Quartet, Paul Yarbrough.

Open to string players between the ages of 15 – 23, the 39th edition of the Klein competition ran from June 1 – 2, 2024 and was streamed online in collaboration with Klein’s media partner The Violin Channel.