Each year the violin competition is an opportunity to be captivated by a rising generation of promising and brilliantly talented artists. More and more candidates from all over the world come to Sion each summer and remind us that, more than ever, the world of classical music is alive and has an exciting future. However, where would these violinists, full of youth, virtuosity and sensitivity, be without the benevolent, demanding, rigorous teachers behind them? The teacher is the keystone of a young artist’s development; they are the ones who accompany, inspire, assist, and continually develop a young musician’s knowledge of art and self.
The Sion Festival, aware of the necessity and value of this master-student relationship, has therefore decided to create a new award which will henceforth recognise a particularly remarkable teacher each year: the Tourbillon de Sion.
The tourbillon, a rotating cage that mechanically absorbs the small disturbances caused by gravity, is the quintessence of watchmaking perfection – it is a symbol of brilliant technicality, at the service of precision and elegance. For the people of Sion, the word Tourbillon also evokes the beauty and durability of a solid heritage, resistant to numerous conflicts over the centuries. These are many of the qualities that contribute to the richness and depth of a fruitful teaching.
In 2018 the Tourbillon de Sion was presented during the final of the Tibor Junior International Violin Competition.
