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A new venue for the Tibor Varga Competition

Competitions
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The all-new Noda BCVs will open its doors this month in Sion, just in time for the 2025 competition

At the end of August, the city of Sion, home of the Tibor Varga Competition, will officially open its new concert and conference hall. It will be called Noda BCVs and will be located in the eastern part of the city´s Cour de Gare district. Inspired by the Latin word "nodus" (meaning "knot"), Noda represents the intersection between the city north of the train station and the one to the south. BCVs stands for Banque Cantonale du Valais (BCVs), which is lending its name and branding to the future venue. "This long-term, ten-year collaboration sends a strong signal for culture and innovation promotion in Valais," emphasizes Oliver Schnyder, CEO of the bank.

A Dual-Purpose Venue with Acoustic Challenges

The hall, featuring a distinctive black and gold aesthetic, faces an acoustic challenge—it must serve both concerts and conferences. It will seat 542 for musical performances and 440 for conferences, with each seat equipped with a tablet and power outlet. The 16-by-10-meter stage is not designed for theater but will be able to include ensembles up to symphony orchestra size. 

Meanwhile, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition continues to grow. After a jump of 20% in 2023, participation has increased again this year, as 160 young prodigies from all over the world have registered. 28 candidates have been selected to take part in the public rounds, which will be held in Sion from 22 to 30 August 2025, first at Pôle Musique, Sion´s new music campus, and then at Noda BCVs. Six prizes will be awarded, worth a total of almost CHF 40’000.

Competition dates
August 22, 4pm: draw- Pôle Musique/ Aula FXB
August 23 and August 24: 1st round- Pôle Musique/ Aula FXB
August 25 and 26: 2nd round– Pôle Musique/ Aula FXB
August 28, 7:30pm: 3rd round- Grande salle, NODA BCVs
August 30, 7:30 pm: Final- Grand Hall, NODA BCVS 
 

The 2025 edition of the competition will be the first under its new director Ruth Puhr. The jury will be comprised of Pavel Vernikov (Chair), Monika Baer, Ariadne Daskalakis, Thomas Grossenbacher, Sunny Lee, Fumiaki Miura, Adrian Oetiker, Lucie Robert and Anton Sorokow. 
For more information, please visit: https://sion-violon-musique.ch/en/

©WFIMC 2025/FR