American violinist Jayden King, aged just 11, has won first prize in the Violin section of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition, becoming the youngest musician to win a first prize in the competition’s history.
King, who was the youngest competitor in this year’s edition, received the €15,000 first prize at the final on Wednesday 16th September at Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum. Italy’s Francesco Papa, 20, took second prize (€10,000), while South Korean violinist Eun Che Kim, 28, placed third (€5,000).
The three finalists performed with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Harry Ogg. King chose Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, while Papa and Kim performed Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor.
The result breaks the previous age record for a first prize winner at the competition, which was held by South Korean cellist Jaemin Han, who won the Cello Section aged 15. King began studying the violin at the age of three and entered New York’s Juilliard School at seven, where he currently studies with Masao Kawasaki. He has already appeared at several prestigious venues and made his orchestral debut at age six.
In 2026, King also won second prize at the Henri Marteau International Violin Competition and the Goldene Note competition.
The George Enescu International Competition was founded in 1958 and is now in its 20th edition. The 2026 competition attracted 185 violinists, of whom 50 were selected to compete. 12 progressed to the second round, six to the semi-final and three to the final. The competition jury was chaired by violinist Mihaela Martin.
The semi-final, held at the Romanian Athenaeum on Friday 11th September, included a new “Play & Conduct” format. Competitors led the Radio Chamber Orchestra from the soloist's position, which highlighted the competitors' ability to shape an interpretation together with the orchestra.
King also received two special prizes: the €2,000 prize for Best Performance of the Imposed Work, for his interpretation of Lembit Beecher’s Still Life with Fallen Stone, and the €1,000 Audience Prize, awarded through an online vote during the final. Papa received the €3,000 Ștefan and Valentin Gheorghiu Prize for the best performance of a sonata by George Enescu.
