INTERNATIONAL JURY

Members of the International Jury of the Sion Violin Competition 2011:

Maestro Shlomo Mintz, President (United States/Israel)
Shlomo Mintz is regarded as one of the foremost musicians of our time. He was a pupil of Ilona Feher in Israel and Dorothy Delay at Juilliard under the personal guidance of Isaac Stern. Mr. Mintz regularly appears with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts all around the world. At age eighteen, Shlomo Mintz added the role of conductor to his artistic endeavours; since then he has conducted acclaimed orchestras worldwide. He also frequently performs as a violist with leading chamber ensembles as well as in recitals. Mintz is a three-time winner of the Grand Prix du Disque and recipient of the prestigious Sienna Premio Accademia Musicale Chigana. Shlomo Mintz served as chairman of the jury of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels. He was President of the Jury of the International Henryk 13th Wieniawski, Poznan, and is President of the first International Violin Competition Buenos Aires.

Prof. Masao Kawasaki, Vice-President (United States/Japan) 
Masao Kawasaki is Professor at the Julliard School, New York.  His career as a soloist leads him to perform extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America both as violinist and violist. An active recitalist and chamber musician. Kawasaki has collaborated with the world's most distinguished artists, including Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Yo Yo Ma, Yefim Bronfman, Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin, Joseph Suk and Leon Fleischer. He has appeared, as guest violist, with the Tokyo, Emerson, Juilliard, American, Mito and Halley string quartets. Mr. Kawasaki is the violist of the Japan Piano Quartet and a resident member of the New Jersey Chamber Music Society.

Prof. Eduard Grach (Russia) 
Eduard Grach is a legendary Russian violinist, soloist of the State Philharmony Society, professor and head of the violin faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. He holds the title People's Artist of USSR. He studied in Odessa under V. Mordkovich, P. Stolyarsky and in Novosibirsk with I. Gutman. Later on, he continued his education in the Central Music School and in Moscow Conservatory in Abram Yampolsky’s class. During his postgraduate years, he received master classes held by D. Oistrakh. A prizewinner himself at various international competitions, many of his students have won prestigious international competitions. He is one of the most active Russian musicians today and has performed extensively in his homeland and abroad for over 60 years, recording some 100 discs and appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras. Eduard Grach gives masterclasses worldwide and is a honorary professor at various Conservatories. He served as a president of the jury at many international violin competitions and is the founder and conductor of the Moscovia Chamber Orchestra, all of whose violinists are his students. He is a recipient of many state orders, including two "Order of Merit for Russia".

Prof. Zakhar Bron (Russia) 
Zakhar Bron is well known the world over as a phenomenal violin pedagogue and an inspiring performer. Prize-winner of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition of Poznan, Poland, and the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium, Zakhar Bron has performed throughout Europe, the ex-USSR and Japan with major orchestras conducted by such eminent maestros as Mariss Jansons, Arnold Katz and Justus Franz. His career as a teacher began as an assistant to Igor Oistrakh at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and since then he has taught in Novosibirsk, London, Rotterdam, Lübeck and Madrid. After settling in Köln in 1997, Mr. Bron began splitting his time between his new city and the Spanish capital. He has given countless seminars and master classes all over the globe and has been praised time and time again for his approach to teaching that is centered on the student and totally immersed in his art. His students have included the likes of Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov and Natalia Prischepenko. Zakhar Bron has also done numerous recordings, playing the classics of the repertoire.

Prof. Vera Tsu (China)
Renowned Chinese violinist, Professor at the Central Conservatory in Beijing since 2000, Vera Tsu has participated as Jury member in many prestigious competitions worldwide: the Sion Valais International Violin Competition in Switzerland 2005, the International Violin Competition in Monte-Carlo, Monaco 2007, the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels 2009 and 2012, the First International Violin Competition Buenos Aries 2010, the 11th Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition in Spain September2011, the 14th International H. Wieniawski Violin Competition October 2011 and the 2012 Menuhin International Violin Competition. At the same time she maintains an active career as both a soloist and a chamber musician on music stages in China and abroad. Her solo performances have included a recital in Paris in 1993 at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees for the Legion d'Honneur as well an appearance with world-renowned composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki in 2005 at the opening season of the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. In October 2007, Ms. Tsu was invited as a distinguished guest by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, held in Deauville in the Basse-Normandie region of France, with attendance of government leaders from many countries, to raise the curtain on the forum with her playing. On October 18, 2008, Tsu appeared as soloist at the concert “Bernstein Celebration at BMF” at the 11th Beijing Music Festival and received great acclaim from critics as well as audiences including Jamie Bernstein. In July 2009, Tsu launched her trio - China Trio.

Prof. Orest Shourgot (Croatia)
Ukrainian violinist and conductor, Orest Shourgot is professor at the University of Zagreb, principal concert master of the Zagreb Philharmonics orchestra, and artistic director as well as soloist of the Zagreb chamber orchestra. He has won many awards, including 1st prize at the competition of the former Soviet Union in Odessa 1989 and of the 1st international competition of M. Lysenko in 1992, and was awarded 2nd prize at the A. Jampolski competition in Dubna in the 1996. Assistent professor at the Tchaikovsky conservatory in Moscow, then at the Lovran music academy, he became associated professor at the University of Split in 1998. He is now full time professor at the University of Zagreb and regularly holds violin seminars in Croatia as well as the rest of Europe. An active performer as a soloist and chamber musician since 1981, his career has led him to collaborate with many great conductors, soloists and chamber musicians such as N. Marriner, S. Mintz, M. Horvat, S. Lano, A. Francis and P. Dešpalj. In the 1992 he played in Yuri Bashmet’s ensemble "Moscow Soloists". His conductor diploma was awarded to him by the people's performer of Ukraine prof. J. Luciv and prof. Z. Ostafijchuk in the year 2006.  

Prof. Petr Jirikovsky (Czech Republic)
Czech pianist Petr Jirikovsky, who studied in Prague, Paris and Vienna with highly talented mentors such as Menahem Preissler, has become one of the most sought-after chamber musicians in his country. A member of the Martinu Trio, he often works with Shlomo Mintz and Pavel Sporcl. His career as a soloist has led him to collaborate with outstanding orchestras and conductors. He has given recitals at the Prague Spring Festival and in the prestigious piano series of the Prague Symphony Orchestra in Prague’s Rudolfinum. He has performed on prominent concert platforms and at many international festivals (Salzburger Festspiele, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, Sion - Valais, Kyoto Autumn  etc.). Petr Jiříkovský has made a lot of radio recordings (Czech Radio, Radio Classic Prague), as well as more than 20 CD recordings for various labels.