On April 25, 2023, the Kayserburg Concert Hall in Guangzhou, China served as the launch point for the pre-selection round of the 57th Premio Paganini International Violin Competition. First held in 1954 and named after the Italian virtuoso composer Niccolò Paganini, it has since become one of the world’s most important and influential violin competitions.
After successive rounds in New York City, Prague, and Tokyo, the competition moves to Genoa, Italy, where 30 competitors will be reduced to three for the finals on October 27, 2023, at Teatro Carlo Felice opera house. The winner will be awarded the top prize of € 30,000 and the opportunity of playing the lI Cannone Guarnerius, the famed violin that was created in 1743 by Italian luthier Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri of Cremona and owned by Paganini before he donated it to his hometown.
For Pearl River, participating in the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition is especially meaningful having recently introduced a new line of string instruments that follow the centuries-old tradition of the famous Cremona School of construction, with the iconic Stradivari violin used as the main production template. For these instruments, Pearl River luthiers experienced in traditional Italian craftsmanship take six months or more to hand-build instruments with premium European-sourced wood seasoned up to 20+ years.
