We're coming to you LIVE from Sion, Switzerland, for the final round of the 2025 Tibor Varga International Competition.

Held biennially, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition is dedicated to discovering and promoting new talented artists of all nationalities. In the final round, the three finalists will each perform a violin concerto with the South Czech Philharmonic and wind players from leading Italian orchestras, under the baton of Valentin Uryupin.

The finalists for this year's competition are:

  • Maria Lundina
  • Reika Sato
  • Aozhe Zhang

Prizes include CHF 20,000 for first place, CHF 10,000 for second, and CHF 5,000 for third. Special awards include CHF 3,000 for the best interpretation of the commissioned piece, as well as the Audience Prize and Youth Jury Prize, each worth CHF 500.

The 2025 international jury, chaired by Pavel Vernikov, will comprise Monika Baer, Ariadne Daskalakis, Thomas Grossenbacher, Sunny Lee, Fumiaki Miura, Adrian Oetiker, Lucie Robert, and Anton Sorokow.

Competition Schedule:

Final Round: August 30 at 1:30 (EST) / 7:30 PM (CET)

  • 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm (ET), 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm (CET) | Aozhe Zhang
  • 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm (ET), 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm (CET) | Reika Sato
  • 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm (ET), 9:30 pm – 10:10 pm (CET) | Maria Lundina

Round 1: August 23 and 24 at 4 AM (EST) / 10 AM (CET)

23 Violinists Competing



Round 2: August 25 and 26 at 7 AM (EST) / 1 PM (CET)

12 Violinists Competing


Round 3: August 28 at 12:30 PM (EST) / 6:30 PM (CET)

6 Violinists Competing