Hosted by the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, the Joseph Bologne International Violin Competition honors the long musical legacy of its namesake.

To be held in Guadeloupe, from November 18 – 22, 2025, the competition is open to violinists of all nationalities aged between 16 and 32. Applications are closing on August 31. Each of the finalists will perform with the official Festival Orchestra at the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges 2025, led by its artistic and musical director, Marlon Daniel.

We caught up with Marlon to learn more about the event and violinist/composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

 

Could you tell us about the new international violin competition you’re launching this year? What is its mission and the motivations behind it?

This November 15–23, 2025, we inaugurate the Joseph Bologne International Violin Competition at the landmark Mémorial ACTe in Guadeloupe as part of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges. It’s open to violinists of all nationalities, ages 16–32, and offers over €35,000 in prizes and performance opportunities.

The competition is a living tribute to Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799), a visionary Afro-French violinist, composer, conductor, and historical figure born in Bailif, Guadeloupe, whose significance has too often been excluded from the canons of music history.

Our mission is twofold: 1. to identify a talent who can embody the spirit, and represent, the legacy of Joseph Bologne, as well as the competition and festival worldwide. 2. We hope to bring the works of the composer into the standard repertoire alongside his contemporaries, where he belongs.

The competition extends the mission of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, which we hope leads to lasting change in the classical music world.

 

The competition will be hosted in Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean. Can you share more about this beautiful location?

Guadeloupe is a French archipelago in the Caribbean—vibrant, multilingual, and culturally rich—where African, European, and Caribbean traditions meet. It’s also Bologne’s birthplace, so bringing an international violin competition here is especially meaningful. Our venue, Mémorial ACTe, is a striking, waterfront cultural center dedicated to the memory and history of the slave trade — a place where historical reflection, Fine art and performance coexist. In this regard, the Memorial ACTe and Guadeloupe offer a platform for international artists of various genres. For visitors, the architectural marvel and natural beauty of the island, highlight Caribbean culture, filled with Creole and French cuisine, combined with the ease of travel to a European territory that uses the euro.

 

The competition is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Bologne. For readers who may not know him, can you tell us about his life, his work, and his legacy?

Born in Baillif, Guadeloupe, and raised in Paris, Bologne became the greatest fencer of his day, a Revolutionary-era colonel, a celebrated violin virtuoso, conductor, and composer. He influenced contemporaries including Haydn and Mozart, inspired writers like Alexandre Dumas, and was described by John Adams as “the most accomplished man in Europe.” After centuries of erasure, his life has finally drawn wide attention from CBC’s 2003 documentary Le Mozart noir to coverage by the New York Times (July 24, 2020), the Disney/Searchlight 2024 biopic Chevalier, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006), and the BBC’s 2022 Marie Antoinette series.

2025 marks the 280th anniversary of Joseph Bologne’s birth in his homeland. Our festival and competition are designed to honor and secure Bologne’s rightful place in history as well as on the concert stages today.

The competition will identify a young artist who can carry that banner, just as the festival gives international music-loving audiences an exciting alternative to European and American-based classical music festivals.

 

What prizes will be awarded to this year’s winners?

Laureates will receive cash awards totaling over €35,000 along with select performance opportunities connected to the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges and our partners. The goal is to help launch the careers of exceptional performers, with the winner going on to represent the legacy of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

 

How would you characterize Joseph Bologne’s music?

Elegant, innovative, expressive, and violin centric. Joseph Bologne was one of the foremost violin virtuosos in history, one who brought innovation and athletic energy to the instrument.

He wrote in a Galant, early-Classical style characterized by singing melodies, clean lines, deft harmonic textures and dynamic virtuosic writing for the violin that extended the instrument’s capabilities. His writing for the violin is marked by precision, speed, and flair were perhaps a byproduct of his incredible fencing athleticism.

 

Will the competition include required works by Bologne this year?

Yes. Bologne’s music is integral to the competition’s identity. Candidates will be required to present a work by Bologne in all rounds of the competition. Similar to other international competitions dedicated to other composers, Bologne is the center of attention, with the final round, a solo performance with orchestra, dedicated to his concerti.

 

At a time when many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives are being rolled back, especially in the U.S., why do you believe it’s important to continue championing Black and other underrepresented composers?

Joseph Bologne himself is the ultimate example of why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives matter. Bologne was not only a composer and violinist of extraordinary gifts, but also one of the greatest fencers of the 18th century, a colonel in the French Revolution, and a cultural figure. He was celebrated for his brilliance in nearly every discipline he touched. He embodied excellence, and yet because of racism, his legacy was systematically minimized and in many cases, erased.

When people dismiss initiatives to expand the repertoire and highlight artists of color, they reveal a flawed and unconsciously racist assumption—that this is about quotas or politics. It isn’t. It’s about historical truth. It’s about bringing the full measure of our contributions, our artistry, and our humanity into view. To deny Bologne or others like him their rightful place in our cultural memory is to deny ourselves.

Championing underrepresented composers is therefore not about being fashionable; it’s about insisting that excellence be recognized wherever it is found. Bologne was indisputably among the finest in his time, and so the competition that bears his name is designed to uphold that same standard. Our mission is to discover and promote a violinist who can represent this legacy on the world stage. And let me be very clear: that choice will be made on artistry and brilliance alone, regardless of background. That is how we honor Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a person who broke through barriers by the sheer force of his excellence.

For this reason the festival has painstakingly engaged a jury of renowned international professionals in the field which include Kinga Augustyn (Poland/USA), Yuan Fang (China), Koh Gabriel Kameda (Japan/Germany), Clarisse Rinaldo (Guadeloupe/France) and Hristo Popov ( Bulgaria/USA), who will serve as President of the Competition Jury, to ensure the quality and fairness of the competition.

 

Do you feel the classical music world has made progress in diversity and representation in recent years? What changes would you still like to see?

Yes, there has been progress—more works by historically excluded composers are entering the repertoire, and more artists of color are being seen on major stages. But the progress is uneven and, in many places, fragile. In the U.S., we are witnessing political rollbacks that seek to de-legitimize the idea that representation matters. These setbacks are not about fairness; they are about fear and preserving exclusion. At their root, they are based in racism and a resistance to change.

Our Festival in Guadeloupe has always understood that including a broad spectrum of voices makes the art form stronger, not weaker. What is diversity if not the very essence of music itself, a harmony of different voices, timbres, and traditions coming together? What is equity if not ensuring that excellence has the same chance to be heard, no matter who creates it? And what is inclusion if not the recognition that classical music belongs to everyone?

The Festival provides a platform for diverse artists because their artistry deserves the stage. The Competition, however, is about something very specific: finding the violinist who can best represent the legacy of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. That legacy is one of uncompromising excellence. We do not lower standards; we raise sightlines. The competition is international, merit-based, and focused on the artistry of the highest order. In doing so, we model a vision of classical music that is both historically truthful and forward-looking—a vision where excellence and representation are not opposites, but allies.

 

For readers eager to broaden their repertoire, which composers would you recommend exploring beyond the traditional canon?

The first name must be Joseph Bologne, whose concertos, symphonies, and chamber works are every bit as compelling as those of his contemporaries. But he is not alone. Composers of color across centuries have left us a vast, rich legacy of original music that deserves to be performed in our concert halls and taught in our institutions.

Think of José White, the Afro-Cuban violin virtuoso who carried European Romanticism into a new idiom, or Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, whose works married late-Romantic lyricism with African and diasporic themes. Consider Florence Price, whose orchestral and chamber works combine American idioms with impeccable craft, or William Grant Still, often called the “Dean of African American composers,” whose works expanded the possibilities of 20th-century sound. In our own time, composers like Dominique Le Gendre, James Lee III, Tania León, Jessie Montgomery, Thierry Pécou Carlos Simon, Curtis Stewart, Shirley Thompson, Errollyn Wallen and Trevor Weston and many more are shaping the voice of contemporary music while connecting to broader cultural narratives.

When performers, students, and institutions embrace these composers, not as curiosities but as core repertoire, the canon evolves and we all flourish; musicians deepen their artistry, audiences hear stories that resonate across cultures, and the classical music tradition reveals itself as the diverse, global art form it has always truly been.

 

Finally, for those interested in applying, when is the application deadline?

Applications close on August 31, 2025. Early submissions are encouraged so our team can facilitate travel logistics for those advancing to the live rounds in Guadeloupe.