Applications Open to Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition 

Open to international artists of all nationalities up to the age of 35, applications will close on January 10, 2025

Founded in 1999 by Alain Meunier and Bernard Lummeaux, the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition is organized by Quatuors à Bordeaux under the artistic direction of Quatuor Modigliani.

Open to string quartets of every nationality, the Competition’s 11th edition will be held from May 19–25, 2025 at the Auditorium of the Bordeaux Opera. Each member of the string quartet applying to compete must be no more than 35 years old; the sum of the ages of all four members of the quartet must not total more than 128 years as of May 24, 2025 (inclusive).

The First Grand Prize is endowed with €20,000 and a set of bows by Edwin Clement of Meilleur Ouvrier de France valued at €40,000. In addition, the winner will complete a recording project for an album produced by Mirare and distributed by Pias/Harmonia Mundi, as well as a two-year international tour.

Second Prize comes with €10,000, four quality instrument cases donated by BAM Cases valued at €3,500, an invitation to a series of masterclasses to be selected by the prizewinner, and a concert in the ProQuartet season. Finally, Third Prize is €5,000, with an invitation for the winning quartet to join the Saint-Jean de Lux/Ciboure Ravel Academy. The special prizes include the €2,000 Contemporary Work Prize, €1,000 Young Listeners’ Prize, and the Audience Prize. Additionally, each participant in the competition will receive a voucher for the Henle Library App worth €50 each.

To register, click here. The deadline for applications is January 10, 2025.

The Final round will be held on May 24, 2025, and the Finalists’ Gala will be held the following day on the 25th.

The 2025 jury will comprise Martin Beaver (President), Corina Belcea, Hélène Clement, Valentin Erben, Miguel da Silva, and Anne Queffélec. Members of the preselection committee will include Marie Chilemme, François Kieffer, and Vineta Sareika. The Final Round’s professional committee — which will advise the three finalist quartets — comprises Charlotte Bartissol, Robert Brufau, Paul Cabantous, Kirsten Dawes, Jakub Fiebig, Édouard Fouré Caul-Futy, Simone Gramaglia, Ulrich Hauschild, Chloë Herteleer, Yasmin Hilberdink, Emmanuel Hondré, Taku Kawai, Antoine Manceau, Jérémie Perez, Federico Rinaldi, Andre Roy, Francisco Sassetti, Alasdair Tait, Linda Uschinski, Cathy Wilkinson, and Michiel Wittink.

Past winners of the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition include the Prazák, Hagen, Ysaÿe, Belcea, Ébène, Schumann, and Leonkoro String Quartets.

“Take the opportunity to meet young artists from all over the world, show your qualities to a high-level jury, increase your network, gain experience, and boost your career!” the competition organizers wrote in a press release.