Ayaka Tanigushi, winner of the Special Prize Etrillard at the 79th Concours de Genève

On Wednesday 12 November 2025, violist Ayaka Tanigushi received the Special Prize Fondation Etrillard on stage at the Victoria Hall in Geneva.

This prize is awarded each year to the finalist who presented the most remarkable personal artistic project in the semi-finals of the Concours de Genève International Music Competition. Ayaka Tanigushi's artistic project combines her passion for contemporary composers with her love of traditional music from her native Japan. Entitled Viola × Koto, it creates a unique dialogue between the Western viola, the koto (a Japanese plucked string instrument) and contemporary music. ‘The jury felt that, of the projects presented by the three finalists, this was the most accomplished, the most realistic and the most closely linked to the artist's personality,’ explains Didier Schnorhk, Secretary General of the Competition. In addition to the prize of 5,000 Swiss francs, the support of the Fondation Etrillard will enable it to be performed on stage within two years of the Competition.

The 22-year-old Japanese violist also received the Second Prize for Interpretation at the Geneva Competition, thanks to her splendid performance in the final of Léo Albisetti's contemporary piece Nouvel Élan (winner of the 2024 Composition Competition) and Béla Bartók's viola concerto, "emphasising the delicacy and finesse of the lines " (Matthieu Chenal in La Tribune de Genève).

The jury was chaired by Tabea Zimmermann, herself a winner of the Geneva Competition in 1982.

Biography

Ayaka Taniguchi started music with violin in 2005 and learned viola since 2015. She experienced orchestra members and chamber music members from her early career, and she played many pieces of music by various composers. She is also interested in contemporary music and is willing to expand her vision of music widely. In 2019, she won the 1st prize at the 74th Tokyo International Association of Artists (TIAA) Freshman Concert, the 1st prize at 75th TIAA All Classic Music Concert and a Student Award by Governor of Tokyo in 2021. She performed solo recitals in 2020 and 2021 in Tokyo. In 2023, she played Hindemith: Kammermusik Nr. 5 as a soloist with Hyogo PAC orchestra with conductor Mr. Yutaka Sado several times. In 2022, she participated as a member of the Berliner Barock Solisten (members of Berliner Philharmoniker). She also participated in masterclasses and has been studying musical activities. She is currently studying a bachelorʼs degree program with Prof. Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.

Find out more

Interview with Ayaka Tanigushi by the Geneva Competition: click here
Recording of the Final on 12 November 2025: click here