Results announced on Friday 24th November 2017

1st prize

18 year old Emma Wernig, from the United States, has been awarded 1st prize at the 2017 Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition – at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, in Birmingham, England.

A student of Paul Coletti at the Colburn School of Music, in Los Angeles, Emma will receive £5,000 – and a recording contract with the Champs Hill label

2nd  prize was awarded to 21 year old Lara Albesano from Italy

3rd prize was awarded to 18 year old Sáo Soulez Larivière from France

The £200 prize for the best performance of a Solo Bach work in the 2nd Round, was awarded to 3rd prize winner: Sào Soulez Larivière.

The £250 prize for the best performance of a Fritz Kreisler work in the 2nd Round, was awarded to Semi-Finalist: Lisa Sung.

The ‘Paul Ayres Prize’, a silver mounted Brazilian pernambuco viola bow, presented to the most promising candidate in the competition 18 years or younger, was awarded to Semi-Finalist: Yizilin Liang.

The ‘Bishop Instruments and Bows Prize’, a silver mounted Pierre Guillaume viola bow, presented for the most outstanding performance of a Sonata in the 3rd Round, was awarded to Finalist: Yue Yu.

The 2017 jury comprised: Nicola Aronowitz, Ettore Causa, Thomas Selditz, Robin Ireland, Florian Leonhard and Thomas Riebl.