World famous violinist and conductor Maxim Vengerov, who will be chairman of the jury at next year’s International Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poznan, said at a press conference in Warsaw that he has so far auditioned fifty prospective participants.

Vengerov said the violinists represent very high standards, with over 170 violinists hailing from 26 countries, including Poland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, the United States and France billed to take part in the preliminary auditions.

Auditions have already been held in Bergamo, London and Seoul and are scheduled in the coming months in Baku, Moscow, Brussels and Poznan.  A final list of 45 entrants will be announced in early May with the competition being held on 8-23 October 2011.

The jury is also to include the violinists Zakhar Bron from Russia, Erich Gruenberg  from Great Britain and Koichiro Harada from Japan, as well as the Russian conductor Yuri Simonov. The legendary Polish-born virtuoso Ida Haendel is to be the jury’s honorary chairwoman.

Held for the first time in Warsaw in 1935, the Wieniawski Competition is the world’s oldest violin competition. It moved to Poznan after a lapse of 17 years and has been held in that city since 1952, usually every five years.

Henry Wieniawski (1835-1880) was a child prodigy, who entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of eight. He is regarded as one of the greatest violinists after Paganini.  His compositional output includes two violin concertos, mazurkas, polonaises, etudes and caprices. (mk/jb)