Participants compete online at Shanghai int'l violin contest

SHANGHAI, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- 2020 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC), a world-class violin competition hosted by the Chinese metropolis, on Friday held its quarterfinal round online after one-year postponement.

A total of 25 musicians from 13 countries and regions including China, the United States, Japan and Russia participated in this round.

The quarterfinal round has been scheduled from Aug. 13 to 16, while the semifinal will be held from Aug. 18 to 21, both online. The events will be broadcast globally through multiple channels. Six finalists will be announced on Aug. 22, and they will participate in person in the final round scheduled in Shanghai next year, performing with a quartet and symphony orchestra.

Named after the renowned violinist Isaac Stern, the competition was first held in 2016 and has been held biennially since then. Japanese violinist Mayu Kishima won the first prize in 2016 and the 2018 event's top prize went to Nancy Zhou from the United States.

Though the competition was postponed due to COVID-19, it is still titled "2020 SISIVC" as the year 2020 marked the 100th birth anniversary of Isaac Stern.

Despite moving online, the competition will maintain its overall difficulty level and standard, with an authoritative line-up of jury members from the classical music industry, including well-known conductor David Stern, son of Isaac Stern.

"Although affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition will still provide opportunities for potential contestants with scientific selection mechanism," said Yu Long, head of the event's organizing committee. "We hope this competition will not only bring fresh blood to the global music industry but also help spread the voice and music of China."

The competition offers one of the biggest prizes among international music competitions, with the top award of 100,000 U.S. dollars.