Sibelius Violin Competition 2025

At the end of May, Geoffrey travelled to Helsinki as part of a trio of conductors leading the final performances of the 13th Sibelius International Violin Competition. The Sibelius Competition takes place every five years, and has long been regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious classical music competitions. Six competitors performed two concertos each during the final week; to accompany them Geoffrey conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, sharing duties with Pietari Inkinen (replacing the indisposed Pekka Kuusisto), while Dima Slobodeniouk conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

His performances of Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre and Unsuk Chin’s Violin Concerto no.1 with finalists Gabrielle Després and Amia Janicki were televised by the Finnish national broadcaster YLE and can be watched here.

Geoffrey Paterson, 1 June 2025