The Strad News – No first prize was awarded in the 2024 Barbash JS Bach Competition

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For the first time in its history, the jury of the Lillian and Maurice Barbash JS Bach Competition has decided not to award the competition’s $5,000 first prize. Instead, she awarded second prize to US violinist Isabelle Durrenberger, who received $1,000. The competition does not award any prizes beyond second prize, making Dürrenberger the only winner among the four finalists.

In announcing the results after the final on October 17, judge Colin Carr explained the decision: “What I’m about to tell you is always controversial… But it’s something we can all really agree on.” The disappointing thing is that we cannot award first prize. We would definitely be happy to talk to the four of you now or later. It’s something really important and we feel it’s our duty to be open, straightforward and transparent with you and tell you why that is.”

The final took place at Stony Brook University’s Staller Recital Hall in Long Island, New York. The participants played pieces from Bach’s partitas, sonatas or suites. The annual competition is aimed at string players aged 16 to 30 and specializes in the performance of works by Bach for unaccompanied string instruments.

Durrenberger is a 2022 graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied with Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein. She has attended festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival and the Four Seasons Spring Workshop. She also completed her bachelor’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Jaime Laredo. She is currently on the violin faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, where she teaches violin lessons and chamber music.

Durrenberger currently lives in New York City and is a 2023-2025 Fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect program. His other competitive experience includes winning the 2021-22 Borromeo String Quartet Guest Award, third prize in the 2018 Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and first prize in the 2017 Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition. She was also a semifinalist in the 2017 International Violin Competition Indianapolis 2022.

This year’s jury consisted of Colin Carr, Arthur Haas, Katherine H. Murdock, Soovin Kim and Ingrid Matthews.

Previous winners of the competition in recent years include violinist Emmanuel Coppey in 2023, bassist Nina Bernat in 2022 and violinists Lun Li and Tianyou Ma in 2021.