VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists

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  2. Leon Blekh
  3. Participants

VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists

0. Leon Blekh, Belgium

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Accompanist Indrė Baikštytė
Education Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel

Leon Blekh was born in Antwerp and began playing violin at age six under the guidance of his father, a former student of David Oistrakh and Dorothy Delay. At the age of nine, he joined the Young Talent Class at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, further refining his skills. From 2019 to 2023, he studied under renowned violinist and conductor Augustin Dumay as an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo. Leon has performed in Europe’s prestigious concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and recently played for the Belgian Royal Family at the Royal Palace in Brussels. He has collaborated with esteemed orchestras such as the Residentie Orkest, the North Netherlands Orchestra, the Tbilisi State Symphony Orchestra, and the Biel-Solothurn Symphony Orchestra. His awards include first prizes at the Iordens Violin Competition, Brueghel Competition, Antwerp Soloist Competition, and Belfius National Competition. He won 3rd prize at the 2020 Oskar Back Violin Competition, was a finalist at the 2023 Henri Marteau and Ysaÿe Competitions, and earned 2nd prize and the audience prize at the 2024 Windsor Festival International String Competition. Leon has performed at prestigious festivals such as Menuhin, Verbier, and Delft, and has studied with world-class musicians, including Shlomo Mintz and Gidon Kremer. He plays a Giuseppe Gagliano violin (1793), generously provided by a private sponsor.

I ROUND

  1. Johann Sebastian Bach | Violin Sonata No. 1 · G minor · BWV 1001
    • III. Siciliana
    • IV. Presto
  2. Niccolò Paganini | 24 Caprices for Solo Violin · Op. 1: No. 11 · C major
  3. Algirdas Martinaitis | "...Su paukščio giesme..." (With a Birdsong)

II ROUND

  1. Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst | "Sechs mehrstimmige Etüden" (Six Polyphonic Studies) for Solo Violin: No. 6 Variations on "The Last Rose of Summer" · G major
  2. Manuel Ponce — Jascha Heifetz | "Estrellita" (Little Star) · transcription for violin and piano
  3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Violin Concerto No. 4 · D major · KV 218
    • I. Allegro

III ROUND

  1. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy | Violin Concerto · E minor · Op. 64
    • I. Allegro molto appassionato
    • II. Andante - Allegretto non troppo
    • III. Allegro molto vivace

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