Bright evening at the Tibor Varga Competition

The 2025 competition was held in the city's new NODA BCVS concert hall. The name NODA, inspired by the Latin word nodus (knot), symbolizes the hall's role as a new cultural nexus, connecting the city north and south of the train station. This modern venue provides a vastly improved foundation for the competition than the previous venue, offering enhanced staging, technical capabilities, and clear, quality acoustics. Its inauguration marks a significant expansion of opportunities for future festivals and cultural events in Sion.

In this new setting, the three finalists each performed a major violin concerto accompanied by the South Czech Philharmonic and wind players from renowned Italian orchestras. The orchestra was led by the Ukrainian  conductor Valentin Uryupin, a former clarinet winner of the Concours de Genève who has successfully launched an international conducting career.

The competition carries the legacy of its founder, the legendary Hungarian violinist and pedagogue Tibor Varga (1921-2003). Established in 1967, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition quickly gained a reputation as one of the world's prestigious violin competitions, serving as a career launchpad for outstanding young violinists.

The three finalists delivered committed performances in front of a packed audience and the jury. The 17-year-old winner, Aozhe Zhang, performed Tchaikovsky's Concerto in D major with impeccable technique and natural fluidity. Maria Lundina, who won second prize, also performed the Tchaikovsky with notable emphasis. Reika Sato, awarded third prize, performed Mendelssohn's famous concerto.

The evening was a memorable celebration of young talent, successfully inaugurating the competition's new era in the modern  NODA BCVS hall.