The twelve selected participants come from Germany, China, Korea, Spain, the United States, Portugal, and Japan.
Tenerife Viola Fest, Asociación Cultural Resonancias and Auditorio de Tenerife have announced the final rounds of the 2025 Tenerife International Viola Competition. The rounds are to be held in the venue’s Chamber Hall on the 17th and the 19th of November, with free admission available until the venue reaches full capacity. The details were announced today (November 12) by the provincial Minister for Culture of the Island Council of Tenerife, José Carlos Acha, and the artistic director of the competition, Macarena Pesutic.
José Carlos Acha commented, ‘Some significant and interesting projects of great significance go unnoticed by the general public and draw attention only within the sector. An example of this is Tenerife Viola Fest, which makes our island the worldwide focal point of the viola’. He said, ‘After eight years of existence, this year’s edition marks another step forward with this first international competition’. He added, ‘Over the course of the week, in addition to competing, the contestants will attend master classes of acclaimed professionals that include the jury members, contributing to their artistic and personal growth’.
Macarena Pesutic said, ‘This year, the competition is the heart of the festival, which was created to promote innovative musical concepts and to enrich the offering of cultural events in the Canary Islands’. She went on to say, ‘It was the logical next step in the projection of the festival, which is characterised by its human factor and the infrastructures where it takes place’. Referring to the final rounds, Pesutic said, ‘It will be a show of fierce virtuosity and warm camaraderie in the context of innovation of the viola repertoire’.
The 12 finalists facing the challenge of becoming this year’s best violist are between 16 and 30 years old and hail from Germany, China, Korea, Spain, the United States, Portugal, and Japan. They were chosen from a total of over 50 contestants from 15 countries through an elimination process that tested their skills with works by Telemann and Reger, and with Paganini’s Caprices. The jury members are Macarena Pesutic, Garth Knox, Timothy Ridout, Veit Hertenstein, Humberto Orán and Víctor Pablo Pérez.
The semi-final will be held on Monday (November 17), marking the opening round of a musical journey that connects Canary identity with its international vocation. The performances will take place between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. The programme starts with European Romanticism, including works by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, and Franck, along with an encore inspired by Spanish or Latin American culture as a reflection of the interaction between local and universal traditions. The premiere of Las Nieblas de San Borondón (The Mists of San Borondón), a commissioned work of composer and violist Garth Knox, will be among the programme’s highlights, with a score that combines the ‘arroró’ Canarian lullaby and the melodies of the ‘pito herreño’ transverse flute with a contemporary language of great evocative power.
The finale on Wednesday, November 19, will bring together the four finalists in a breath-taking programme: Bach’s magnificent ‘Chaconne’ and Joaquín Turina’s ‘Escena Andaluza op. 7’, with the accompaniment of Cuarteto Schumann and pianist Javier Lanis. The finalists are to compete between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in an event in which virtuosity, tradition and innovation will come together in the Auditorio’s Chamber Hall.
Over the course of the week, the 12 finalists are to attend master classes with the jury members. In addition, Kiyoko van Bochove will offer individual, tailored coaching sessions to support each finalist’s artistic and personal growth.
In addition, Tenerife Viola Fest and Auditorio de Tenerife will offer on Tuesday the 18th of November a concert of violist Timothy Ridout accompanied by pianist Federico Colli at 7.30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall. The tickets can be purchased at a single price of €15 and €5 for audiences under 30 on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium’s box office, or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check the special discounts for students, unemployed people and large families, among others.
Tenerife Viola Fest, codirected by Nobuko Imai and Macarena Pesutic and dedicated to the viola, was launched eight years ago with world-class infrastructure and outstanding concert halls, such as Canary Islands Higher Conservatory of Music in Tenerife and the Auditorio de Tenerife, offering an ideal setting for the creation of music.