The 20-year-old violinist won Helsinki's Sibelius Competition in 2000; he has since performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestra National de France, and City of Birmingham Symphony, among other ensembles. He recorded his debut CD for EMI in 2003 and recently released an album of Katchaturian and Sibelius concertos through the French label NaÇve.
Yossif Ivanov of Belgium won second prize; Sophia Jaff_ of Germany finished third.
The prestigious annual festival, open to musicians between the ages of 17 and 27, rotates annually between violin, piano, voice, and composition. Previous winners include David Oistrakh, Jaime Laredo, Vadim Repin, and Nikolaj Znaider.