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The finalists of the 2025 Lilian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition have been announced. The annual competition is open to string players aged 16 to 30 and specialises in performing works by J.S. Bach for unaccompanied bowed stringed instruments.
The finalists are violinists Gabrielle Desprès (US), Coco Mi (US), baroque violinist Danqi Zeng (China) and violist Wanxinyi Huang (China).
The final round will be held on 16 October at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center Recital Hall. The contestants will perform any piece from J.S Bach’s Partitas, Sonatas or Suites, for the opportunity to win the grand prize of $10,000 and future performance engagements.
The performance opportunities for the grand prize winner include a soloist appearance at the Island Symphony Bach Festival in 2026, paid engagements with GEMS (Gotham Early Music Scene), Washington Bach Consort, Amor Artis and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The second-place winner will receive $2,500.
The jury comprises Kim Kashkashian, Colin Carr, Renée Jolles, Arthur Haas and Kenneth Slowik.
Past winners of the competition in recent years include violinist Emmanuel Coppey in 2023, bassist Nina Bernat in 2022 and violinists Lun Li and Tianyou Ma in 2021. No first prize was awarded in the 2024 edition, with second prize going to violinist Isabelle Durrenberger.
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