Imagination, beauty of sound, creative freedom and a distinctive artistic personality were among the qualities the jury sought in the young musicians. All three finalists demonstrated these attributes in their performances of Wieniawski’s violin concertos. The demanding works offered an opportunity to appreciate not only their technical command but also their individual musical approaches.
Jury member Akiko Suwanai was particularly looking forward "...to hear Wieniawski's wonderful music. After so many years of performing, it is amazing that we come back to the roots". Indeed, both concertos are relatively rarely heard in concert, making the final round a valuable opportunity for young violinists to perform them with an orchestra. SooBeen Lee and Jinzhu Li chose Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 14, while Bohdan Luts performed Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22. All three combined technical assurance with musical sensitivity and refinement, supported by the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Łukasz Borowicz.
“We have to make the most important—and truly difficult—decisions, because we are judging art, wonderful individuality, and the artists here. I want to emphasize that there are no losers here. Thank you for these wonderful moments; you are all heroes. But someone had to win,” said jury chair Bartłomiej Nizioł during the announcement of the results.
Rather than relying on jury deliberations, the competition determines its results through a detailed scoring system, with clearly defined rules published in advance. Each round carries a maximum number of points, and the system also governs the allocation of special prizes. Following the final evaluation, Bohdan Luts was awarded First Prize, Jinzhu Li Second Prize and SooBeen Lee Third Prize.
