The programme of the II International Violin Festival – Toruń 2016 includes a number of concerts and recitals of brilliant violinists, competitions, films, exhibitions and workshops on instrument making.At its core lies the International Violin Competition, which is organized in Toruń every three years. The originator of the competition is Michał E. Staśkiewicz. The first edition in 2007 was dedicated to Karol Szymanowski. Out of 23 participants, the Jury presided by Professor Marcin Baranowski selected three prize-winners: Erin Keefe (USA, 1^st prize), Artiom Shishkov (Belarus, 2^nd prize) and Malwina Sosnowski (Switzerland, 3^rd prize). The Jury of the second edition of 2010 was chaired by Professor Wanda Wiłkomirska. The prizes were awarded to Yoon Yang (1^st prize), Maria Włoszczowska (2^nd prize) and Clémence de Forceville (3^rd prize). The previous edition in 2013 gathered a cohort of both young and experienced violin virtuosos. The Jury led by Professor Bartłomiej Nizioł selected three prize-winners: Anna Malesza (1^st prize), Maja Syrnicka (2^nd prize) and Eunsol Youn (3^rd prize).

In February 2016 Toruń will host young violin virtuosos from all around the world. Twenty-four violinists have been qualified to take part in the competition. They have been selected out of nearly a hundred applicants and come from the following countries: Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Turkey, Taiwan and Canada. In the first stage, the participants will present musical pieces for solo violin. The twelve participants who will perform in the second stage will play recitals with piano accompaniment (including an obligatory piece by a Polish composer written in the 20^th century). Each of the six finalists will play one of the selected five of the most popular violin concertos to the accompaniment of the Toruń Symphony Orchestra. The Jury presided by Professor Konstanty Andrzej Kulka will award three prizes and as many distinctions. All participants may be awarded special prizes funded by institutions from Poland and abroad.

The Festival will also include the Second Composition Competition and the Competition for the Best Musical Review. The jury of the former will select three out of all musical scores submitted for consideration. All scores have to present a one-piece composition for violin and string orchestra. The first-prize piece will be performed at the Fifth International Violin Competition in 2019. The other competition aims to encourage the participants to deepen their musical knowledge and develop their music appreciation skills. There will be an opportunity for the prospective competitors to take part in an introductory course before the competition. The programme will also include lectures and workshops on instrument making. Cinemagoers will certainly enjoy the screenings of musical films (‘Quartet’, ‘Paganini: The Devil’s Violinist’, ‘Okuribito’, “Nannerl, Mozart’s sister”). The Afisz Theatre invites children for their play ‘Janko the Musician’.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Second International Violin Festival – Toruń 2016.