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Competitions › Ysaÿe International Music Competition

Ysaÿe International Music Competition

Liège, Belgium

Official website Rules & repertoire

Next edition

Edition
2027
Dates
Preselection 4-8 Jan, semifinal 3-5 May, final 1-2 July 2027
Location
Verviers / Visé / Liège (Royal Philharmonic Hall)
Registration deadline
14 December 2026, 23:59 CET
Fee
Junior EUR 220; Senior EUR 240

Source: ysaye-competition.com

Overview

International violin competition in Belgium honouring Eugène Ysaÿe, with Junior and Senior violin categories and a separate 'Ysaÿe Rising Stars' competition. The 2027 edition has a video preselection, a livestreamed video semifinal and a live final at the Royal Philharmonic Hall of Liège.

Organiser
Ysaÿe International Music Competition (founders Elena Lavrenova and Ashot Khachatourian)
Instruments
Violin
Category
Solo violin
Age limits
2027: Junior born on or after 1 January 2014; Senior born on or after 1 January 1994

Rules & repertoire

Registration & fee

  • Apply in English by 14 December 2026, 23:59 CET, one category only. Junior born 1 January 2014 or later; Senior born 1 January 1994 or later. Any nationality. Attach vertical recent artistic colour photo at least 300 dpi, artistic biography up to 150 words, passport or national ID, video link, bank transfer proof and all round repertoire. Official PDF does not list recommendation letters.
  • Junior €220, Senior €240, via bank transfer, non-refundable and non-transferable. Keep links accessible through the competition. If requesting the official final pianist, indicate this when applying and pay €100 between 10 and 30 May 2027 once confirmed.

Rounds & time limits

Preselection · video · 4–8 January 2027

  • Junior, max. 15 min: one free solo étude or caprice plus one virtuoso piece, solo or accompanied. A concerto first movement is allowed. Senior: two contrasting movements (slow and fast) from one Bach solo Sonata, or Bach Chaconne BWV 1004 without repeats, plus one Paganini Caprice Op. 1.

Semifinal · new video due 19 April · jury 3–5 May

  • Junior, max. 20 min: one free solo work and the first movement of any violin concerto with piano. Programme must differ from preselection. No cuts unless authorized.
  • Senior: one Paganini Caprice Op. 1 (may repeat the preselection Caprice), one virtuoso work by Chausson, Hubay, Kreisler, Paganini, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky, Waxman, Wieniawski or Ysaÿe, and the first movement with cadenza of Mozart K. 216, 218 or 219 with piano.

Live final · 1–2 July · Liège

  • Junior, max. 15 min: one free solo étude or caprice plus one virtuoso work (solo or accompanied), which may be a concerto first movement. Preselection repertoire may return.
  • Senior: movement I of a Beethoven or Brahms violin-and-piano sonata, or Schubert D. 574 I; one complete Ysaÿe Solo Sonata Op. 27; plus concerto movement I with piano. Choose Beethoven Op. 61, Brahms Op. 77, Dvořák Op. 53, Mendelssohn Op. 64, Paganini No. 1 Op. 6 or No. 2 Op. 7, Prokofiev No. 2 Op. 63, Saint-Saëns No. 3 Op. 61, Sibelius Op. 47, Tchaikovsky Op. 35 or Wieniawski No. 1 Op. 14.

Repertoire

  • Videos: landscape, fixed camera, at least 1920×1080, with face, hands, upper body and instrument visible, and sound recorded in sync. Continuous takes per work or movement, no audio replacement, enhancements or edits inside movements. Preselection may use concert recordings; semifinal recordings must be made specifically for this edition.
  • Play from memory, except violin-and-piano sonatas may be read. Semifinalists announced 8 January, finalists on 6 May. Finalists arrive and rehearse 30 June.

Source: Official registration and schedule · Official regulations (PDF) · Complete programme (PDF)

Jury & prizes

Jury

  • 2026: Ashot Khachatourian (chair)
  • Hrachya Avanesyan
  • Andrey Baranov
  • Ensik Choi
  • Alexandre Feye
  • Gabriel Gheorghe
  • Stefan Jackiw
  • Philippe Koch
  • Erez Ofer
  • Joel Smirnoff
  • Kirill Troussov

Prizes

  • Senior 1st: EUR 5,000, one-year violin loan and a concerto engagement with orchestra
  • Senior 2nd: EUR 2,000
  • Senior 3rd: EUR 1,000
  • Studio recording prize
  • Junior 1st: EUR 1,000 and a bow
  • Junior 2nd: EUR 500 and a case
  • Junior 3rd: EUR 300 and strings
  • Ysaÿe Prize: EUR 500

Past editions

To protect minors, we do not show the names of winners in categories open to under-18s. Category, age range and prize are always shown.

  • 2026 — Liège source
    Senior · born 1994 or later
    • 1st prize — Christina Nam (USA)
    • 2nd prize — Tetsutaro Nakatani (Japan)
    • 3rd prize and Ysaÿe Prize — Vilmos Csikos (Belgium)
    Junior · born 2014 or later
    • 1st prize — name not shown (category open to under-18s)
    • 2nd prize — name not shown (category open to under-18s)
    • 3rd prize ex aequo (2 winners) — name not shown (category open to under-18s)

Summarised from official sources, last checked 14 Nov 2026. Main source