Jury

PAOLO SALVELLI – president
Though neither a musician nor a violin maker, Paolo Salvelli is still ideally suited to chairing the jury of the 14th Triennial Competition, with his wise rigour developed over his many years as a notary (since 1968) and a love for music and violin making which has led him to preside over the Fondazione Walter Stauffer. The foundation organizes specialization courses and important cultural projects. Having already headed the jury in 2009 and 2012, he brings experience and notable gifts of mediation, a quality essential to anyone coordinating the judging committee of such an important prize.

MASSIMO QUARTA – violin
Born in 1965, Massimo Quarta begin his musical studies at the age of 9. A pupil of Beatrice Antonioni, he later specialized under Salvatore Accardo, Pavel Vernikov, Ruggiero Ricci and Abram Stern. The winner of many international awards, in 1991 he won first prize at the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, the first Italian to receive this coveted recognition since Salvatore Accardo’s victory in 1958. An extraordinary career as a concert musician has led him to perform for some of the world’s most prestigious concert organizations and to collaborate with renowned musicians and orchestras.

ROBERT COHEN  – violoncello
Robert Cohen made his concerto debut at the age of twelve at the Royal Festival Hall, London. During forty years of distinguished international career, Cohen has been hailed as one of the foremost cellists of our time. Invited to perform concertos world-wide by conductors Claudio Abbado, Antal Dorati, Sir Mark Elder, Mariss Jansons, Sir Charles Mackerras, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Sir Roger Norrington, Tadaaki Otaka, Sir Simon Rattle, Stanis?aw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Osmo Vanska.
Cohen is an inspirational teacher and has given masterclasses at Conservatoires throughout the world. From 2000-2012 Cohen was Professor of Advanced Solo Studies at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, and in in 2010 became Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

PATRICK JÜDT – viola
Violist and composer Patrick Jüdt studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover and at the Musik-Akademie in Basel under the guidance of Hatto Beyerle. He has won numerous international awards and frequently performs internationally as both a soloist and in chamber groups. In 2006 he was appointed professor of viola, chamber music and contemporary music at the Hochschule der Kunste in Bern.

FRANCISCA MENDOZA – violin
Selected by MUSICAL AMERICA as a YOUNG ARTIST OF THE YEAR 1990, Francisca Mendoza has performed  to critical acclaim and standing ovations around the world. She has performed in North, Central and South America, Europe, Israel and the Far East. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall as a soloist with The New Chamber Orchestra of New York, has performed at Steinway Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Lincoln Center and she has been a guest with Robert Sherman at WQXR, New York. Her performances have been broadcasted on radio and television in The United States, South America, Spain and Mexico.

ALAIN RUAUX – double bass
Alain Ruaux was born in 1962, Lucerne, Switzerland. He began his musical education with his father, who passed on him his passion for the double bass. Then he continued his studies all around Europe with Jaques Cazauran, Ludwig Streicher or Franco Petracchi.
He has been honored in many competitions and since 1981 he is member of the Geneva Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, where he is solo double bass.As a chamber musician he has collaborated with Christian Zacharias, Vadim Repin and “Les Beaux-Arts” Trio, among others.
Eager to spread the instrument repertoire, he often performs in concerts and has founded the double bass quartet “Tutti Bassi”.

ANDREA FRANDSEN – violin maker
Born in Møn, Denmark in 1957, Andrea Frandsen studied in Newark-on-Trent, where she graduated with distinction in 1985. In 1988 she moved to France and opened her own workshop. Since 2006 she has been working in the Loire Valley, close to Angers. Her work is inspired by the classical Cremonese tradition between the 16th and 18th centuries. Her international awards include gold medals for a violin in Oakland in 1994 and for a viola in Paris in 1991. In 2008 she was appointed to the rank of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.

NICOLA LAZZARI- violin maker
Born in Desenzano del Garda, Italy, Nicola Lazzari studied at the International Violin-Making School in Cremona under the tutelage of Maestro Gio Batta Morassi before specializing for around 10 years in Gio Batta Morassi’s workshop. He currently works in his own workshop in Casalbuttano, close to Cremona. His violins, violas and cellos are inspired particularly by Stradivari’s models. He has participated in important international competitions, receiving awards such as the silver medal for best varnish at the 6th International Wieniawski Competition in Poznan and first place in the Triennial Competition in 1985.

TETSUO MATSUDA – violin maker
Tetsuo Matsuda was born in 1945 in Akita, Japan. His first work in the industry was for the Chai Guiter-Making Workshop. In 1977 he was accepted into the Cremona Violin-Making School, graduating four years later. In 1983 he moved to Chicago and ten years later started his own business. In 1982 he was awarded silver medals for both violin and viola making at the Triennial Competition. In 1984 he won gold medals for both violin and viola at the International Competition of the Violin Society of America. His workshop is located in Barrington, Illinois.

LUCA PRIMON – violin maker
Luca Primon was born in Trento, Italy, in 1952. He has dedicated himself to the study of the cello and the double bass. From 1974 to 1979 he attended the violin-making school at the Parma Conservatory, under the guidance of master violin maker Renato Scrollavezza. He later specialized with Jurgen Von Stietencron. Since 1980 he has taught at the City of Milan’s Civic School of Violin Making. He has won major awards at international competitions and participated in the restoration of the Santa Maria della Pietà Collection in Venice and many other instruments of considerable historic interest.

RAYMOND SCHRYER – violin maker
Born in Sault Marie, Canada, in 1961, Raymond Schryer has been dedicating himself to violin making for over 30 years. He studied violin performance at the University of Western Ontario and now enjoys arranging music and performing. He initially studied violin making under his uncle, then completed his training in Toronto, at the Geo. Heinl & Co. workshop. He has won significant awards in important international competitions, and in 2006 won the gold medal in the cello section at the 10th International Triennial Competition. Constantly committed to research and experimentation, in 2004 he participated in the first Amiata Summit project on new technology applied to violin making.