RELEASE: October 30, 2025
—EOIVC 2026 PRELIMINARY ROUND ANNOUNCEMENT—
THE ELMAR OLIVEIRA INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION
A FLAGSHIP PROGRAM OF THE ELEVAR FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY ROUND COMPETITORS FOR 2026 COMPETITION
All Rounds to be Streamed Via the Violin Channel & on the EOIVC YouTube Channel
EOIVC 2026 Takes Place at the Lynn Conservatory of Music, Boca Raton, FL
from January 4-January 18, 2026
Boca Raton, FL—The Elevar Foundation, home to the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (EOIVC), is pleased to announce that 20 young and talented violinists have been selected to advance to the Preliminary Round of the 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition. The Competition will take place in Boca Raton, Florida, from January 4 through January 18, 2026, at Lynn University. The 20 Preliminary Round Competitors were selected from more than 70 applicants representing 20 countries. The 20 Preliminary Round Competitors range in ages 18 - 30 and represent 11 countries— Austria, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and United States.
The EOIVC 2026 Preliminary Round Competitors (listed in alphabetical order)*:
Sameer Agrawal (20, United States)
I-Hao Cheng (27, Taiwan)
Sophie Hing Fei Leung (18, Hong Kong)
Xiang Han (25, China)
Yiyang Hou (21, China)
Alena Hove (26, United States / Japan)
Julia Jones (21, United States)
Wenqi Ke (27, China)
Youjin Lee (30, South Korea)
Youngjoo Lee (26, South Korea)
Hyun Jae Lim (27, South Korea)
Maria Lundina (25, Israel / Russia)
Sophi Rochlin (24, Israel)
Zixuan Shen (23, China)
Kristóf Tóth (25, Hungary)
Julia-Xiaozhuo Wang (18, Austria / China)
Dindin Jingyi Wang (20, China)
Ruiyi Wang (23, China)
Wendi Wang (27, China)
Zhixin Zhang (25, China / Switzerland)
*These are the current ages of these Competitors at the time of this announcement.
Additionally, three Alternates have been chosen. Should an EOIVC Preliminary Round Competitor not be able to participate and has notified the EOIVC by no later than December 6, 2025, an EOIVC Alternate will be chosen in order of their scoring from the Qualifying Round. The Qualifying Round was held via online submission from May-September 2025 and was adjudicated by violinists Jennifer Frautschi, Lucia Lin, and Arnaud Sussmann. The three Alternates, listed in alphabetical order, are: Sung Chi Chang (24, Taiwan), Zixiang Lin (26, China) and Jinyoung Yoon (27, South Korea).
From January 4 –18, 2026, up to 20 Preliminary Round Competitors will come to Boca Raton, FL to compete in the Preliminary Round. The Preliminary Round will be held from January 8-10 and will determine the eight Semifinalists who advance to the next round. The eight Semifinalists will compete in the Semifinal Round from January 13–14. The Semifinal round will determine the four Finalists who advance to the Final Round. The EOIVC 2026 Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds are free and open to the public. These rounds will be held on the campus of Lynn Conservatory of Music in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall.
The EOIVC 2026 Final Round takes place on January 18 at 3:00pm at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center on the campus of Lynn University. Conductor Gerald Karni will lead the Lynn Philharmonia and the four Finalists in these performances. An awards ceremony, following the concert on January 18, will be held to announce the winners. The Finals are open to the public, but require the purchase of a ticket for entry.
All Rounds will be livestreamed by The Violin Channel—proud media partner of the EOIVC—on their website and the EOIVC’s YouTube Channel. For more information, please visit elevarfoundation.org/eoivc.
Tickets, for the Final Round, held on Sunday, January 18 at 3:00pm, range in price from $35-$50 and can be purchased via credit card only by calling 561-237-9000 or by going online at www.lynn.edu/events. A limited number of free student tickets to the Final Round are also available and require a valid student ID upon pick up.
The four EOIVC 2026 Finalists will compete for more than $175,000 in prizes. The first prize winner will receive a $30,000 cash prize provided by the David and Amy Fulton Foundation; a new violin made by Phillip Injeian; a Gold-Mounted Violin Bow crafted by Vladimir Radosavljevic; an Alexander Plus Carbon Violin Case provided by Bogaro & Clemente; as well as guaranteed national and international engagements with orchestras, music festivals and concert series over the next three years, including recitals in New York (sponsored by Tarisio Fine Instruments and Bows), Boston (sponsored by Carriage House Violins) and Cremona, Italy (sponsored by Amorim Fine Violins). The Second Prize winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize provided by Tarisio Fine Instruments and Bows and a Silver-Mounted Violin Bow made by Vladimir Radosavljevic. The Third Prize winner will receive $10,000 provided by Mesirow Wealth Management. The winner of the Honorable Mention will receive $5,000 in memory of Gerald and Barbara Arbetter. All four 2026 EOIVC Finalists will receive The Essential Guide to Bows of the Violin Family provided by the author, Gabriel Schaff; The Fulton Collection by the author, David Fulton; and a NuBow made by Rodney Mohr.
The EOIVC 2026 panel of seven jurists include some of today’s most esteemed violinists selected by Elmar Oliveira for their unequivocal support of young musicians. World-renowned violinist Andrés Cárdenes will serve as Chairman of the EOIVC 2026 Jury. The EOIVC 2026 judging panel is Ilya Kaler, Ida Kavafian, Irina Muresanu, Philip Setzer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and Kyoko Takezawa. Elizabeth Pitcairn will act as an alternate judge should any member of the panel be unable to participate.
FOR ROUND AND EVENT INFORMATION CLICK HERE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Raechel Alexander
RELEASE JUNE 1, 2026
—EOIVC 2026 JANUARY 4TH – 18TH, 2026—
DATES, DEADLINES, PRIZES AND JURY ANNOUNCED FOR 4TH TRIENNIAL EOIVC
First Prize $30K, Second Prize $15K, Third Prize $10K, and Honorable Mention $5K
Additional Career Support for First Prize Winner in the Areas of Management,
Public Relations, and Performance Opportunities
First Prize Winner will be Featured as Soloist with Orchestras and
in Recital at Festivals and on Concert Series
In Addition to Monetary Prizes, the EOIVC will Also Award a
New Instrument & Bow to First Prize Winner and Bow to Second Prize Winner
Andrés Cárdenes Named Chairman of EOIVC 2026 Jury
International Panel of Judges: Ilya Kaler, Ida Kavafian, Irina Muresanu,
Philip Setzer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, & Kyoko Takezawa
Repertoire for EOIVC 2026 Includes EOIVC-Commissioned Work for Solo Violin
by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer, Melinda Wagner
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
Boca Raton, Florida (June 4, 2025)—Today the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (EOIVC), in collaboration with the Lynn University Conservatory of Music, announced the dates of its fourth triennial competition, January 4-January 18, 2026 to be held on Lynn’s campus in Boca Raton, FL. Online submissions are currently closed.
EOIVC 2026 marks its fourth since its inaugural Competition in 2017. Prizes offered for 2026 total to more than $175,000. The first prize winner will receive $30,000; second $15,000; third $10,000; and honorable mention $5,000. The first prize winner will also receive performance opportunities with orchestras and festivals across the US, career support in the areas of management and public relations and a new instrument and bow crafted by some of the world’s finest artisans. The EOIVC 2026 second prize winner will also receive a bow. Additional prizes will be announced at a later date.
The EOIVC, a flagship program of the Elevar Foundation, is unique for the career-defining opportunities it offers to young violinists, ages 18-30. The EOIVC is only the second competition of its kind solely dedicated to the violin that is based in the United States. Live streaming its inaugural concerts received more than 1.5 million views across multiple social media platforms.
EOIVC 2026 candidates, who are no younger than 18 at time of submission and no older than 30 by the end of the competition (January 18, 2026), are selected through an intensive four-step process: online-only Qualifying Round via video submissions, in-person Preliminary Round, Semi-Final Round and Finals. A maximum of 20 Preliminary Round Competitors will be chosen from the online submissions. Entries for consideration must be submitted by the deadline with a $135 registration fee.
The EOIVC will provide all competitors, who advance to the preliminary round, reimbursement up to $100 for domestic and $200 for international roundtrip air travel to and from the competition as well as hotel accommodations and vouchers for ground transportation while competing.
From January 4-January 18, 2026, the Preliminary Round Competitors chosen from the online submissions, will compete in three in-person rounds in Boca Raton, Florida. The Preliminary Round (up to 20 competitors, January 8-10) and the Semi-final Round (up to 8 competitors, January 13-14) will be held in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall at Lynn Conservatory of Music.
The Final Round will take place on January 18, at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center on Lynn’s campus. Conductor Gerald Karni will lead the Lynn Philharmonia and the four Finalists. Winners will be chosen from the Finalists and awards will be given in a ceremony following the performance on January 18.
The Preliminary and Semi-Final Rounds are both free and open to the public. The Final Round on January 18 is open to the public but is a ticketed event. All Rounds will be streamed live on the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition YouTube Channel.
The repertoire for EOIVC 2026 consists of specific works for each round selected by Elmar Oliveira and Andrés Cárdenes. Central to the EOIVC’s philosophy is its deep commitment to the music of our time. For this competition, the Elevar Foundation has commissioned Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Melinda Wagner to write a work for violin and piano that will be performed during the Preliminary Round.
The EOIVC 2026 panel of seven jurists will include some of today’s most esteemed violinists selected by Elmar Oliveira for their unequivocal support of young musicians. World-renowned violinist Andrés Cárdenes will serve as Chairman of the EOIVC 2026 Jury. The EOIVC 2026 judging panel is Ilya Kaler, Ida Kavafian, Irina Muresanu, Philip Setzer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, & Kyoko Takezawa. Elizabeth Pitcairn will act as an alternate judge should any member of the panel be unable to participate.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Raechel Alexander
ralexander@ra-completecommunications.com