Zakhar Bron School of Music students received ten prizes, including six first prizes, across several age groups in the violin solo and chamber music categories at the Finale Classica of the Swiss Youth Music Competition, held in Zurich from 30 April to 2 May 2026.
Nine young violinists and one pianist from the Zakhar Bron School of Music advanced to the final round of Switzerland’s leading national music competition after winning first prizes at the Swiss Youth Music Competition Entrada Classica 2026, held in mid-March.
The ZBSM students returned home with prestigious prizes from the final round, marking another outstanding achievement for the school and its young musicians.
In the Violin Solo category, ZBSM students achieved outstanding results across several age groups, receiving nine prizes in total, including five first prizes.
Aron, Zlata, and Kira took part in the Swiss Youth Music Competition for the first time. We are especially pleased that all three of them received first prizes in the Entrada round, where young musicians competed in different regions across Switzerland, and went on to win third prizes in the national final. For their debut participation, this is undoubtedly an excellent result.
In the Chamber Music category, the duo of Maksut Mukhitdin, piano, age 9, and Katharina Filimonova, violin, age 10, received first prize with distinction in their age group.
It is worth noting that in the Entrada round of the competition, ZBSM Advanced Programme violin student Katharina Filimonova received First Prize with Distinction in the Violin Solo category, as well as another first prize in the Chamber Music category, this time without distinction.
This made Katharina’s participation in the Swiss Youth Music Competition 2026 exceptionally successful: she won four first prizes, two of them with distinction.
Professional Programme violinists Nina Gringolts, Sophie Branson, and Kimia Corke study with Liana Tretyakova, the school’s founder and lead violin teacher.
Tatjana Filimonova, Timmy Wang, Aron Wallerstein, Zlata Eismann, Katharina Filimonova, and Kira Okhrimenko study violin with Inna Khriplovich. Tatjana is a Professional Programme student, while the other five violinists are Advanced Programme students.
Maksut Mukhitdin is an Advanced Programme piano student in the class of Rafael Lipstein, ZBSM’s lead piano teacher.
Preparation for the competition involved several months of dedicated and meticulous work by both students and teachers. We are delighted that their commitment, discipline, and attention to detail were rewarded with such excellent results at the national level.
For the Zakhar Bron School of Music, participation in the final round of the Swiss Youth Music Competition is an important recognition of the work of its students and teachers at the national level. Reaching the final is already a significant achievement, reflecting the students’ high level of preparation, dedication, perseverance, and serious commitment to music.
We warmly congratulate all participants, their families, and teachers on these wonderful results, and thank our students for representing the Zakhar Bron School of Music with such distinction at Switzerland’s leading national music competition.
Tags: Aron Wallerstein, Inna Khriplovich, Katharina Filimonova, Kimia Corke, Kira Okhrimenko, Liana Tretiakova, Maksut Mukhitdin, Nina Gringolts, Rafael Lipstein, Sophie Branson, SYMC-2026, Tatjana Filimonova, Timmy Wang, Zlata Eismann
Categories: Music Competition Awards, SYMC
