Armenian maestro Haik Kazazyan has been declared the champion of the first-ever Classic Violin Olympus held in Dubai.
Kazazyan triumphed after a gruelling six rounds at Dubai’s Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, scooping €200,000 in cash and a Stradivari-model violin handcrafted by renowned Italian luthier Fabio Piagentini.
The 42-year-old clinched the championship through powerful performances of works by Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Beethoven, and Alexey Shor. He won over the jury with an unconventional choice for his finale, which was drawn from a YouTube video featuring Frank Peter Zimmermann’s interpretation.
When I heard my name, I thought to myself, ‘This cannot be real,’ ” states Kazazyan. “It was an astonishing moment, and I couldn’t tell whether I was dreaming or living through this.
I gave it my all. I truly immersed myself in the music, and I genuinely adore this Alexey Shor Concerto. I trust the jury was able to sense that emotion.
Over the past seven days, 12 violinists from around the world performed at the hotel’s Zabeel Theatre for the final of the competition, which held preliminary rounds in Rome, Vienna, London, New York, Tokyo and Dubai.
Each violinist performed alongside the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, interpreted a piece by a contemporary composer and participated in an interview with the jury – with Kazazyan wowing the 23-member panel of renowned conductors, composers and musicians.
All 12 musicians also performed a piece by Alexey Shor, for which Kazazyan also scooped a special prize, earning an extra €10,000 for his performance of
Violin Concerto No. 4 in B minor
.
However, with accolade comes responsibility, and Kazazyan now faces the task of living up to his new title.
I am extremely pleased, yet I sense a responsibility—to demonstrate to my competitors that I genuinely merit this award and to advance my professional journey,” he states. “My ambition remains focused on enhancing both my performance skills and musical artistry.
Each of the leftover finalists received a prize of €10,000 for their accomplishments and was asked by different judges to collaborate with symphonies globally; notably, Kazazyan accepted offers to play in both China and Spain.
For the musician from Yerevan, who started playing the violin when he was seven years old, this triumph represents the peak of three decades dedicated to his craft.
When I was young, Vivaldi’s work truly inspired me.
Four Seasons
, and after that by Niccolò Paganini—I decided I wanted to play the violin,” he explains. “My father was equally passionate about music, and our house was filled with an extensive collection of classical records, particularly many featuring violin performances, which stood out.”
We listened to Isaac Stern, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, and Jascha Heifetz — and whenever I heard these recordings, I dreamed of being able to play just as beautifully.
After winning the 2024 Rome Classic Violin Competition, Kazazyan shared some guidance with budding musicians who dream of following in her footsteps.
He suggests, “I recommend that every aspiring musician should listen to recordings by exceptional artists and draw inspiration from them.” He adds, “Because pursuing music as a career can be extremely challenging, this practice will help sustain their passion.”
Even though he felt assured during the contest, Kazazyan thinks it was his unconventional finale that really distinguished him.
“Several years ago, I heard a recording of Frank Peter Zimmermann on YouTube and it was really great,” he says. “I found the score, learned it and then I edited it a bit myself.
When I joined this contest and needed to select an encore piece, I believed that this was precisely what I should pick. It would truly stand out as remarkable and intriguing, particularly for the jury—and I was right.