Violin Student Michael Shaham Wins Second Prize in Kreisler Competition Grand Finals

Curtis student Michael Shaham has won second prize in the grand finals of the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition. For the first time in the competition’s history, there are two shared second prizes ex-aequo for Mr. Shaham and Rino Yoshimoto. First Prize went to Guido Sant’Anna e Silva.

The final round of the Kreisler Competition was streamed live on Sunday, September 25, from the Great Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Mr. Shaham performed Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47.

Mr. Shaham, from Ra’anana, Israel, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2019 and studies violin with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Ida Kavafian. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Mr. Shaham is the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation Fellow.

Watch the finals concert below and visit the official Kreisler Competition website HERE.


Curtis students, alumni, and faculty are making remarkable accomplishments in the music world and beyond. Learn more about Curtis in the News.

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