The 2024 International Violin Making Competition, hosted by the Violin Society of America (VSA), has concluded, with a total of 38 medals awarded to instrument and bow makers. Among the honors, 6 gold, 20 silver, and 5 bronze medals were presented to instrument makers, while bow makers received 7 gold medals.
The competition, which is held biennially, took place from November 19 to 22, 2024, at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, coinciding with the VSA’s annual convention.
French bow makers Victor Bernard and Emmanuel Carlier had an exceptional evening. Bernard won gold medals in all four categories—violin, viola, cello, and bass bows—while Carlier earned gold medals for his violin, viola, and cello bows. Both were also awarded “Hors Concours” certificates, an esteemed recognition for having received gold medals in three separate VSA competitions, the highest honor available in the event.
Canadian luthier Fabienne Gauchet garnered a double gold medal for tone and artisanship for her quartet of instruments, marking her second consecutive win in this category, as she also received a double gold for quartet in 2022. Additionally, Gauchet earned a silver medal for tone in the violin category and a certificate of merit for artisanship for her viola.
This year’s competition attracted 518 entries, including 204 violins, 104 violas, 62 cellos, 12 double basses, and 34 quartets. A total of 82 bows were entered: 27 for violin, 17 for viola, 29 for cello, and 9 for double bass. All submitted instruments and bows are currently on display at the Indianapolis Convention Center.
The competition was judged by a team of 15 artisanship experts, including Guy Harrison, Ulrich Hinsberger, and Melina Polizzi (violin); Kelvin Scott, Jason Viseltear, and Wendy Moes (viola); Frank Ravatin, Mira Gruszow, and Julie Reed-Yeboah (cello); Mario Lamarre, Bill Lakeberg, and David Wiebe (double bass); and Morgan Andersen, Yannick Le Canu, and Emmanuel Begin (bows). The same panel also judged the quartets for viola and cello categories.
The 16 tone judges included Cristian Fatu, Richard Lin, and Sandy Yamamoto (violin); Jordan Bak, Yu Jin, and Zhanbo Vheng (viola); Austin Huntington, Mihail Jojatu, and Anna Clift (cello); Rachel Calin, Sharif Ibrahim, and David Murray (bass); and Sirnin Ganatra, Austin Hartman, Mark Holloway, and Brandon Vamos, from the Pacifica Quartet. Cellist Emilio Colón also participated as a listening judge.
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