Jury for the competition

Born in southern Germany and raised in Zurich, the soprano first took lessons with Paul Steiner, later with Ruth Rohner at the Zurich Opera House, and then completed her studies with Brigitte Fassbaender and Daphne Evangelatos in Munich. Since the winter semester 2020/2021, she has been teaching as a professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She also gives master classes in Austria and abroad and participates as a jury member in international competitions.

The artist worked with numerous renowned conductors, including Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink, Franz Welser-Möst, Claudio Abbado and Manfred Honeck. Lieder recitals have always been her passion and have taken her to the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Wigmore Hall in London, Konzerthaus Vienna, Kölner Philharmonie, Berlin's Boulez Hall and Madrid, among others.

Find out more at www.julianebanse.com

Leader of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe and founder member of the project “Spira mirabilis” the florentinian violinist Lorenza Borrani performs as director, soloist and chamber musician in the most important halls and concert seasons in Europe and in the world in collaboration with ensembles like Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Freiburger Barockorchester, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Paris, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and many others. She is artistic partner director of Västerås Sinfonietta and Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. As soloist she has played with conductors like C. Abbado, T. Pinnock, Y. N. Seguin, B.Haitink.

She is very passionate in chamber music projects with her closest musical partners. The recording of the full cycle of Mozart strings quintets with her ensemble “Spunicunifait” is about to be released by Alpha. She teaches in Scuola di Musica di Fiesole and is Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Born in Italy and raised in Argentina, Ana Chumachenco began violin lessons at the age of four – first with her father, who himself came from the school of Leopold Auer, and later with Ljerko Spiller in Buenos Aires. After starting a remarkable career in Argentina at a very young age, she returned to Europe at the age of 17 to continue her studies with Joseph Szigeti, Sándor Végh and Yehudi Menuhin.

In addition to her performances in recitals and as a soloist with some of the greatest orchestras, Ana Chumachenco has devoted herself intensively to chamber music. Together with violist Osca Lysy and cellist Walter Nothas, she formed the Munich String Trio for over 20 years.

Ana Chumachenco held a chair for violin at the Munich Academy of Music for many years. Chumachenco regularly appears as a jury member at many prestigious violin competitions, including the international Queen Elisabeth Competition and the international Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki.

Ning Feng is recognized internationally as an artist of great lyricism, innate musicality and stunning virtuosity. Ning has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Minnesota Orchestra in the US and in Europe. He also performs regularly with the very top European orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony.

In China, Ning is held in the highest regard, appearing with all the major Chinese orchestras, in recital and regularly with visiting international orchestras such as the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer. In 2023 and 2024 he is Artist-in-Residence at the NCPA Beijing where he performs Mozart’s five Violin Concerti as well as the complete solo Sonatas and Partitas of Bach.

Born in Chengdu, China, Ning Feng studied at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music with Weimin Hu, the Hanns Eisler School of Music (Berlin) with Antje Weithaas and the Royal Academy of Music (London) with Hu Kun. Ning lives in Berlin and is a Violin Professor at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule and also holds the position of International Chair of Violin at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Find out more at https://www.ning-feng.com

Dutch violinist Liza Ferschtman is known for her passionate performances, interesting programs and communicative qualities on stage. The daughter of Russian musicians, Liza Ferschtman grew up constantly surrounded by music. One of her earliest major influences was the violinist Philipp Hirschhorn, a close family friend.

She received her formal training from Herman Krebbers at the Amsterdam Conservatory, Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and David Takeno in London. In 2006 she received the highest accolade awarded to a musician in the Netherlands, the Dutch Music Award.

Find out more at https://lizaferschtman.nl

Kim Kashkashian’s work as performing and recording artist and pedagogue has been recognized worldwide. She won the coveted Grammy Award for her recording of Ligeti and Kurtag solo viola works in 2013. In 2016, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2020, named an Honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music.

As soloist, Kashkashian has appeared with the orchestras of Berlin, London, Vienna, Milan, New York and Cleveland. Recital appearances include the great halls of Berlin, Munich, Tokyo, Athens, London, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

She coaches chamber music and viola at New England Conservatory of Music and is founder and artistic director of Music for Food, a musician-led hunger relief initiative.

Find out more at https://www.kimkashkashian.com

The American pianist Robert Levin performs worldwide. His revival of the practice of improvised cadenzas and ornaments in Viennese classical music is recognized worldwide. As a passionate advocate of new music Robert Levin has performed numerous commissions and world premieres.

His active career as a chamber musician includes a long collaboration with violist Kim Kashkashian and a duo with his wife, pianist Ya-Fei Chuang. In addition to his concert activities, Robert Levin is a music theorist and Mozart researcher.

Robert Levin is Artistic Director of the Sarasota/FL Music Festival, President of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 1993 to 2014, he was the Dwight P. Robinson Jr. Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. He is a visiting professor at the Juilliard School, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Sibelius Academy.

Stephan Zilias is the General Music Director of the Staatsoper Hannover. He opened the 2023/24 season leading a critically acclaimed new production of “Parisfal” and later in the season conducts Reimann’s “Lear”. Zilias makes his Theater an der Wien debut with a production of Knussen’s “Where the Wild Things Are” and Savonlinna Festival (Finland) debut with a production of “Lohengrin”.


On the symphonic stage Stephan continues to curate a successful concert series in Hannover and this season makes his Netherland Radio Philharmonic debut. He will conduct NDR Radiophilharmonie for the 2024 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition. Zilias has a close relationship with Deutsche Oper Berlin and returns this season for “Fidelio”, having been invited as a guest conductor several times before.


Stephan studied piano and conducting in Cologne, Düsseldorf and London and later held positions at Mainz Opera, Theater Lüneburg and Bonn Opera. In 2018, Stephan was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.


Find out more at https://stephanzilias.com