17 August of this year witnessed the 21st edition of Eurovision Young Musicians—the renowned competition for young classical musicians put on by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)—in Bodø, a European Capital of Culture in 2024. Leonhard Baumgartner, age 17, claimed victory for Austria with his outstanding performance of Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Minor. “It was a wonderful experience, and I’m immensely grateful to all those who’ve supported me on my path as a musician—above all to my teacher, Dora Schwarzberg,” said the ecstatic Vienna native following his competition victory. Even so, the mdw student doesn’t want to lose sight of what’s essential amidst the numerous project and concert requests he’s received: “The most important thing for me now is to avoid getting distracted. I want to stay grounded in the music and continue working to refine my art, though I am especially happy about a CD project with Deutsche Grammophon and the accompanying STAGE+ video.”
Thanks to his solid preparatory training, the ambitious violinist has already racked up numerous competition wins including first prizes at both the Ilona Fehér International Violin Competition and the 4th Zuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians as well as the Discovery Award of the International Classical Music Awards. Participating in competitions has been a source of musical enrichment for this young musician since he was six years old: “Competition wins provide me with new energy and bring me into contact with lots of people—which opens up new opportunities.”
Leonhard Baumgartner has been studying with Dora Schwarzberg since 2022 and transitioned from the preparatory programme to the performance degree programme in autumn 2024.
