Korean violinist Soyoung Yoon was named as the winner of the 14th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, which took place in Poznań, Poland, in 2011. In the final round, she performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto, accompanied by the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Marek Pijarowski. 

Since winning the competition, Yoon has distinguished herself as a laureate of the Indianapolis, Queen Elisabeth, and Tchaikovsky competitions. She was also the winner of the Moscow International David Oistrakh Violin Competition and the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, and most recently, she received First Prize at the Tokyo Classic Violin Competition 2024.

She has made solo appearances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

 

 

Applications are currently open for the 2026 Wieniawski Competition. The 17th edition will take place in Poznań, Poland, from October 8–25, 2026. The jury will be chaired by Bartłomiej Nizioł and comprise 11 members.

First prize will include a cash prize of €60,000, while second prize is worth €30,000 and third prize is worth €15,000. All laureates of the competition will receive €5,000, and the special prizes to be awarded will be announced prior to the opening of the event.

For more details and to apply, click here. The deadline for submitting applications and recordings is 9 January 2026 at 23:59 CET.