CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
EOIVC 2026 WINNERS
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1ST PRIZE Hyun Jae Lim (28, South Korea) / $30,000 Provided by David and Amy Fulton Foundation
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2ND PRIZE Yiyang Hou (21, China) / $15,000 provided by Tarisio Fine Instruments and Bows
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3RD PRIZE Sameer Agrawal (20, United States) / $10,000 provided by Mesirow Wealth Management
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4TH PRIZE Julia Jones (21, United States) / $5,000 provided by Kenneth Warren & Son, Ltd.
Hyun Jae Lim (28, South Korea) won Best Performance of the EOIVC-Commissioned Work, Wood-Sprite by Composer-In-Residence Melinda Wagner, they received a cash award of $1,500 provided by the Charney family in loving memory of Ellen Dryer Charney.
Hyun Jae Lim (28, South Korea), won Best Performance of an Ysaÿe Solo Sonata, they received a cash award of $500 provided by Eric Silberger.
Meet our 2026
First Prize Winner
Hyun Jae Lim
(28, South Korea)
Violinist Hyun Jae Lim, from Seoul, South Korea, has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Houston Symphony. She has performed in major venues including Verizon Hall, the National Gallery of Art, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and Jordan Hall.
Hyun Jae has received numerous awards worldwide, including prizes at the Menuhin Competition in Geneva, the Ima Hogg Competition, the Alfred M. Greenfield Competition, and the Singapore International Violin Competition. As a chamber musician, she has performed at major festivals and collaborated with renowned artists such as Vadim Gluzman, Gary Hoffman, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Atar Arad, Peter Wiley, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and Steven Tenenbom.
She earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a Howard and Carol Lidz Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Midori Goto, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Arnold Steinhardt, and is currently pursuing her master’s degree there.
Hyun Jae Lim
EOIVC 2026 1st Place
Preliminary Round
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
Day 3: Preliminary Round
Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall at Lynn Conservatory of Music
Bach: Adagio and Fuga from the Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Paganini: Caprice No. 7 in A minor
Paganini: Caprice No. 19 in E-flat major
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 (Allegro) Melinda Wagner: Wood-Sprite (EOIVC Commission)
Hyun Jae Lim
EOIVC 2026 1st Place
Semifinal Round
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
Day 2: Semifinal Round
Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall at Lynn Conservatory of Music
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 3 in D minor “Ballade” Wieniawski: Polonaise brillante, in A major, Op. 21
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EOIVC 2026
Finals
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3pm
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition - Finals
Keith C. & Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center
Lynn University Philharmonia
Gerald Karni, conductor
Sameer Agrawal (20, United States)
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Yiyang Hou (21, China)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35
-INTERMISSION-
Julia Jones (21, United States)
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64
Hyun Jae Lim (28, South Korea)
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Following the final Competitor, the EOIVC Judges will deliberate and the placement prizes will be named.
About Us
The EOIVC is deeply committed to its mission of providing talented violinists, ages 18-30, who are at the start of their careers, with networking, management, public relations, community engagement and concert opportunities in addition to a monetary prize. These long-term career development tools reach well beyond financial support, actively demonstrating the strong dedication of the EOIVC to cultivating and nurturing developing musicians as well as encouraging them to engage with the communities they serve. The EOIVC is the flagship program of the Elevar Foundation.