Poland's Szymanowski String Quartet Competition Awards Second Prize

While no first prize was awarded, the Turicum Quartet was given second prize and €26,000

The string quartet category of the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition has recently come to a close. The judges concluded that no quartet was worthy of First Prize, which was to be valued at €38,000.

The Turicum Quartet was given Second Prize of €26,000, and the Neuma Quartet took third prize of €14,000 — as well as a further €8,000 for the best interpretation of a string quartet by Szymanowski.

The other awards on offer were those for the best performance of a contemporary work from the competition's composition division — and these €2,000 awards were won by the Quiron Quartet and the Monbijou Quartet.

In 2023, the string quartet jury comprised Peter Schuhmayer (Chair), Arkadiusz Kubica, Kyril Zlotnikov, Izabella Szałaj-Zimak, Guy Danel, Jonathan Brown, and Piotr Reichert.

The competition also runs categories for piano, violin, voice, and composition.