Léo Albisetti and Caio De Azevedo Win Joint First Prize at the 78th Concours de Genève Composition Competition

The First Prize of the 78th Concours de Genève, which took place on 20th October 2024 at Victoria Hall in Geneva, has been jointly awarded to composers Léo Albisetti and Caio De Azevedo.

The Third Prize has been awarded to Sang-Min Ryu, who has also received the Nicati-De Luze Special Prize.

The subject of the 2024 Composition Competition was a work for solo viola and chamber orchestra. The finalists’ compositions were performed by the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, conducted by Pierre Bleuse.

Caio De Azevedo’s work Marionnette was performed by Lise Berthaud as soloist; The Past Recaptured by Sang-Min Ryu featured Georgy Kovalev as soloist; and violist Adrien La Marca performed as soloist for Léo Albisetti’s composition Nouvel Élan.

Jury Chair and composer, Pascal Dusapin, said, “I rarely partake in competitions as a jury member but this was a marvellous experience here in Geneva with my colleagues, working in a very serene and collaborative atmosphere.” He congratulated the composers as he awarded the Prizes and advised them, “The most important lessons you learn as a composer come from the musicians themselves. The best school of composition is your encounters with musicians and orchestras. You must always listen to what they have to say. Even today, I never forget what a musician asks of me when they correct me.”

Founded in 1939, Concours de Genève is one of the world’s leading international music competitions. It aims at discovering, promoting, and supporting young talented artists, giving them the necessary tools to launch an international career. Several main disciplines rotate annually, including piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, cello, viola, string quartet, voice, percussion, and composition, which is held every second year. 

The Final Round and Prize-Giving ceremony for the Concours de Genève Voice Competition will take place on 22 October at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and will be live streamed on Concours de Genève’s website, social media channels and amadeus.tv, as well as a live broadcast on RTS-Espace 2.