Please introduce in a few words your competition, its history and legacy
Staatstheater Stuttgart (the state theater) is among the largest in Europe, and the number of museums is huge.
Markus Klein: The Guadagnini Foundation, based in Stuttgart, was established in 2018. The guiding principle of the foundation “support” was to be realized from the very beginning with the competition’s claim to foster young, highly talented string players in an outstanding way and to offer them an ideal platform to face a large, high-level competitiveness. Our aim is to continue to establish and consolidate the Stuttgart International Violin Competition as one of the world’s outstanding and important competitions.
What do you offer your award winners in terms of career development?
We hope that our support will open doors for top musical and artistic talents, which may develop into key milestones on their future artistic path. The prize money of €65,000 for the finalists and the loan of a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1746 provide a financial and artistic foundation, as do the recitals and concerts arranged with our partners, festival organizers and orchestras. Are there any innovations/new aspects of your competition that you have introduced or will introduce? In 2021, we added a new commission: “Feu d’artifice” by David Philip Hefti to the repertoire, and the finalists had to play a Beethoven quartet with the renowned Lotus Quartet in the first part of the final. This underscores our idea of ultimately creating support through artistic challenges.
Tell us a little about your city !
Stuttgart is the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, and thus we are particularly pleased that the President of Baden-Württemberg has accepted the patronage of the Stuttgart International Violin Competition. Founded around the year 950, the Stuttgart region today makes for an innovative and leading industrial location, where people from over 170 nations live together peacefully: this makes the city rather special. If buildings could tell stories - in Stuttgart you would listen for hours. The state capital has magnificent palaces, pioneering new buildings and bold architecture. From automobile museum to baroque palace and the world’s first television tower made of reinforced concrete - Stuttgart attracts visitors with many impressive sights. Our cultural institutions are known far beyond the state borders:
What expectations do you have of the members of the WFIMC?
We look forward to professional exchange and new ideas, especially with regard to the promotion of top young talent and the synergies that arise from collaborations within the network. At the same time, we look forward to welcoming members of the WFIMC to the 3rd Stuttgart International Violin Competition from February 21 to 28, 2027!
« Markus Klein, Chairman, The Guadagnini Foundation ©Marco Borggreve
Stuttgart, Germany
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