Anyone who witnessed Hina Maeda’s exuberant performance at the finals of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 2022 – in Poznań or via streaming – will know what a bubbly and spontaneous character she is. The joy she brings in her playing is truly infectious, and she was a deserved winner of the first prize.
Since her success at the competition, the young Japanese violinist has had a busy schedule, giving 60 concerts around the world in 2023 as part of the Competition Laureate Tour, while continuing her studies at the Tokyo College of Music and giving concerts in in her home country.
“To be honest, I didn’t know I would be giving so many concerts until I reached the final round,” Maeda laughs. She talks to me via video call with refreshing frankness. “Perhaps I had missed the information in the rules and regulations! But in any case, I didn’t think I would reach the finals when I entered the competition, let alone win, so I wasn’t thinking about post-competition touring.”
Why did she decide to participate in the Wieniawski Competition out of all the violin competitions in the world? “Well, I decided on a whim. After winning domestic competitions in my teens, I wasn’t keen to go straight into the international circuit so I was even relieved when the pandemic happened. Then, one day in late 2021 in the student accommodation where I lived, I heard someone practicing Wieniawski’s second concerto and I was reminded how much I loved that piece and wondered whether I would ever play that piece again. Because I think all violinists play or practice the piece when they are young but apart from in Poland, it isn’t standard concert repertory.
“Then I thought, if I got to the final in the Wieniawski competition, I could play the concerto! I looked it up and found out that the next competition was in 2022. It was about a month before the application deadline. For me, it was lucky that the competition had been postponed for a year due to the pandemic, because if it had taken place in 2021, I wouldn’t have been there.”
Maeda tells me she had known about the competition because she had watched videos of the previous participants such as Ryosuke Suho (7th prize, 2016), with whom she shared the same teacher. She remembers being captivated by the beautiful venue of the Adam Mickiewicz University Auditorium, and it was a dream to play there one day.
In fact, the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions. It was first held in 1935 to commemorate the 100th birthday of the distinguished Polish violinist and composer. The competition resumed after the war in 1952, when the first prize was won by the young Igor Oistrakh, the son of David, and since then it has been held every five years (with a few exceptions). Prizewinners this century include Alena Baeva (1st prize, 2001) and Bomsori Kim (2nd prize, 2016).
This year’s competition will take place between 8th and 25th October in Poznań. Currently the pre-selection process is taking place. From the 125 violinists who have qualified to the second pre-selection stage, 49 will be chosen to take part in the competition (announcement on 1st June), as well as Zofia Anna Olesik who qualified automatically after winning the Polish national Zdzisław Jahnke Violin Competition. In fact, the second pre-selection stage was to be held in worldwide live auditions, but because of the current geopolitical situation, the organizing committee decided to hold the second pre-selection by video. This year’s competition is in five stages, requiring violinists to perform a wide range of repertoire, including concertos by Polish and Nordic composers in the third stage.
I ask Maeda how she prepared the repertoire for the competition. Was there a lot of new music to learn? “Although I applied for the competition dreaming of playing the Wieniawski, actually I didn’t think I would be selected, so it was a surprise when I learnt that I had passed the pre-selection. As I hadn’t prepared the all the scores of the repertoire, my teacher sent me copies of works such as the Szymanowski’s Myths, which I hadn’t played before. And in the envelope was enclosed a handwritten note which said: ‘If you are going to take part, do your best to come first.’
“My teacher had never said anything like that to me before, so I was very surprised, but it was also sobering. There were a lot of pieces to learn, and I was in such a panic before the competition that my teachers even told me I could pull out rather than give a bad performance!”
Maeda recalls the repertoire she played in the competition’s 2022 edition. “I particularly remember playing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in the semi-final stage with orchestra. I thought this was quite unique for a violin competition, and I really enjoyed playing the piece. In fact, the semi-final consisted of a recital part and the concertante part, and I felt I didn’t play well in the recital and was feeling low. Thinking I’d never play on that stage again, I really let myself go during the concertante! Other than the Mozart, I remember playing Wieniawski pieces and solo Bach in the first stage, and ‘Dryads and Pan’ from Szymanowski’s Myths in the semi-final recital. Perhaps for experienced competitors the repertoire may not be as demanding as some other competitions, but for me as a 20-year-old, it was a handful.”
In the event, she did go through to the final and she was able to play Wieniawski’s second concerto and Brahms’ concerto. She says she doesn’t really remember much about her final performance because she was the last to play in the 3-day final and hadn’t slept much – when she played, she wasn’t sure if she was alive or in heaven! “I thought, as long as I get to the end that’s fine,” Maeda says, surely an understatement!
After her win, what advice and feedback did she get from the jury? “The jury were all very kind and encouraging, and many of them told me that this is only the start line and what matters is what lies ahead. I particularly remember the words from someone in the organizing committee. He said to me ‘you are the Queen of the Wieniawski Competition until the next competition, and you must work hard for the next few years so you can pass the crown on to the next person when the time comes.’ The competition is a major event in Poland, and I realised it was a big responsibility to be the winner. Wherever I went in the Laureate tour, the audience were expecting to hear the Wieniawski winner rather than just Hina Maeda.”
The post-competition touring is notably extensive – possibly more extensive than any other major violin competition. Between the three prizewinners, they gave 80 concerts in 22 countries on five continents. Maeda performed all around Poland, Europe, Asia and Latin America, travelling mostly on her own, and mostly performing the Wieniawski concerto. Did she ever get fed up with the concerto, playing it so many times?
“No, never! I’m never bored with any concerto. It may be a cliché, but each performance is different. Each orchestra, each conductor, each venue, each country. For instance, it was really fun playing the concerto with the Panama orchestra! I heard that it was probably the Panama premiere of the concerto. I played it in Columbia, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and in Europe, and each performance was different. Overall, it was a great experience, and it was reassuring to find Japanese players in every orchestra including Panama!”
But Maeda says she’s wants to take a break from travelling for a while and focus on her activities in Japan. Although she likes travelling and socializing, at heart she’s more of a stay-at-home person – reading (physical books, not kindle), playing online games, and watching YouTube – in that sense, she is a typical 24-year-old. Last autumn, she gave a recital of mainly French music at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan with pianist Wataru Hisasue (2nd prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2025) with whom she enjoys a duo partnership. Also in February last year, she was the soloist in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Myung-whun Chung conducting the Tokyo Philharmonic from the piano.
Looking forward, she says she wants to explore the Beethoven sonatas and also perform more chamber music. She is a member of the Shiki Quartet which is in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Chapel.
“At this early stage in my career, I’m greatly influenced by the people I perform with: conductors, orchestras, and chamber music partners. I hope that through making music with all these different people, I’ll be able to learn a great deal.”
Finally, does she have a message for the people taking part in this year’s Wieniawski Competition or for people considering taking part in future editions?
“The Wieniawski is a really welcoming competition. I’ve taken part in quite a few competitions and it’s rare to find one where the staff and the people behind the scenes are so supportive – they really take a personal interest in the contestants, cheering everyone on as if they were their own children. It made me very happy. Also, the audience was incredibly warm – including groups of enthusiastic schoolchildren – and the hall has lovely acoustics. Yes, it was a wonderful experience for me, and I’m sure it will be for future contestants.”
Results from pre-selection of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition will be announced on 1st June. The Competition takes place 8th to 25th October 2026 in Poznań.
More information on the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition.
This article was sponsored by the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition.
