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Hannover, Germany

Introducing: Sandra Hoffmann

Competitions
Federation

A conversation with the new Managing Director of the Joseph Joachim international Violin Competition

WFIMC: Tell us a little about your background, your career and how you came to the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition!

Sandra Hoffmann: After my studies in musicology, I worked for several years for the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg in the artistic operations office and in music education. It was exciting to witness the construction of this new concert hall, develop new concert formats and work with several artists. Even before that, I was involved in organising various orchestra and choir competitions and worked for different associations.

In search of new challenges, I started my own business and worked as a cultural manager, dramaturg, tour manager and stage manager (opera productions) for various foundations, festivals and concert halls. I spent many summers working for the Salzburg Festival and the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. My engagements took me to the Sydney Festival and Kyoto City University of Arts, among others.

In 2018 and 2021, I worked as event manager for the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition. When the position of managing director became vacant, I was offered the job by the Lower Saxony Foundation, for which I am very grateful. It is wonderful to be able to work for such a prestigious competition and give young talents the opportunity to start their international careers.


Do you play the violin (or another instrument) yourself? Have you taken part in a competition?

As a child, like many others, I learned to play the recorder, then the piano. But my favourite instrument is the voice: I sang in a chamber choir for many years and still find the experience of making music together absolutely wonderful. I have taken part in competitions with this choir and also as a dancer in jazz and modern dance, so I know the participant's perspective very well. But I have also always enjoyed organizing competitions – with the aim of making it as pleasant as possible for the participants, musicians, jury, technicians, audience and all the other people involved in the competition.

Sandra Hoffmann

You are currently preparing the 2027 JJ Competition - what will be new? Are there some details you can share already?

The Joseph Joachim Violin Competition will take place from 20 September to 2 October 2027. That's still almost two years away, but we are already in full preparation mode. As a new feature for the next edition, we have decided to give the commissioned work more space. There will be a concert day at a special venue where only the commissioned work will be performed – played eight times by the eight semi-finalists. In recent years, only the three finalists have performed it, but we believe that new music in particular deserves more space and more attention.


From your point of view, what is particular about the Joseph Joachim Competition - why should young violinists apply and participate?

We are delighted to be able to hold another competition in 2027. This major and magnificent project by the Lower Saxony Foundation, which takes place every three years, has been running for 34 years. That is a commitment. For so many years, young violinists have been given the opportunity to present themselves to an international jury, to compete with others and to surpass themselves.

There are a few things I really appreciate about the JJV: at the beginning, all 26 participants get to present themselves twice to the jury before the decision is made as to who will advance to the semi-finals. This means that everyone either gets a second chance right away or can prove twice from the outset why they are the right fit for this competition. The competition then lasts for almost two weeks – so perseverance and strong nerves are required. A major challenge that must be taken on.

Another point is the special atmosphere: the participants come to Hanover, a city with just under 530,000 inhabitants in northern Germany. Everything is very clear, the distances are short and the participants can concentrate on the most important thing, their play. In addition, they can stay with host families free of charge, who accompany them, help them with any questions and provide emotional support. It's very family-like and has always proved to be very important.

So if I were a young violinist with the desire to demonstrate my perfect playing, my versatility and my individuality, then I would definitely apply to the Joseph Joachim Competition.

You have 2 Artistic Directors- Antje Weithaas and Oliver Wille. How do you get along with them, and how easy/difficult is it to work with them? What are their characteristics and how do you see your role in between them?

It is a great privilege to work on such a fantastic project with two people like Antje and Oliver. Both are active artists themselves, so they know the industry very well and have a deep understanding of music. They both know what kind of talent they are looking for in the competition and what it takes to succeed in the international concert scene. 
The two artistic directors complement each other perfectly, are always available thanks to modern technology, and do not shy away from discussion. The three of us have clearly defined tasks and enjoy a great mutual exchange.
And there are not just three of us: one of the most important roles is played by Lavinia Francke, Secretary General of the Lower Saxony Foundation. She is the one who will ensure that the competition takes place again in 2027.
I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we are fortunate to have a working environment that functions very well, and also a good interpersonal atmosphere.

Are you in touch with previous winners? Are there currently any projects going on with them?

Yes, of course, there are several reasons why I am in touch with them:
One of our competition prizes is concert engagements. Over 30 renowned concert organizers from Germany and Europe have awarded concert engagements to the participants of the competition. I am therefore in regular touch with the prize winners and the organizers, and I also attend some of the concerts. It is always a pleasure to hear and see the winners again.

Another point is the debut album: Jacques Forestier, winner of the Warner Classic debut album at the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition 2024, has just recorded it. Last month, I was with him at Teldex Studio in Berlin, where he recorded the tracks for his album. It's great to be able to accompany a young artist on such a big step. The post-production process is now underway before the album is released by Warner Classics in the summer of 2026. I'm really looking forward to it!

 

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