A new repertoire, a new jury, and completely revamped first prize: the tenth Carl Nielsen Violin Competition that opens today takes a very different approach. The new president of the jury, star violinist Nikolaj Znaider, intends to thoroughly shake up the prevailing music competition culture.

23 young violinists from all over the world have come to Odense for this year’s Carl Nielsen Violin Competition. It’s the tenth such contest, but this year is going to be very different from previous years. The composition of the jury has been changed, the violinists are going to play a different kind of music, and there’s a new format for the first prize. These changes are the work of the new jury president, celebrated Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider. He wants to challenge the culture that usually dominates music competitions.

Violin teachers banished

The most important change is to the composition of the jury. Violin teachers are usually well-represented on juries at classical violin competitions, but they’ve been banished from this year’s Carl Nielsen Violin Competition for a special reason:

- The jury is often the biggest problem at this kind of competition. Teachers want their own pupils to do well or for their competitors’ pupils to do badly. It sounds far-fetched, but it happens all the time: teachers vote for their own pupils or against a competitor’s. The result is unfair competition, Nikolaj Znaider says.

So this year the violin teachers have given way to orchestral players from leading symphony orchestras, other soloists, and music management.

A boost for the winner

Nikolaj Znaider’s second change is to the music. This year’s contestants will enjoy greater freedom to choose what they play. This runs counter to competition practice: the repertoire is usually stipulated in advance.

- I want to see how the contestants think when they put together a programme. It will tell us a lot about them. I firmly believe that the more freedom you allow them the easier it is to judge them, he says.

More than a title and money

The third change this year involves the prizes. The winner of the Carl Nielsen Violin Competition will leave Odense with more than the title and a considerable sum of money: the prize also includes a number of performances with professional orchestras.

- Our aim is to identify and help launch the careers of extraordinary and versatile talent: you don’t do that by merely handing them a prize. The concerts will provide a real boost to the winner’s career, Nikolaj Znaider says.