The final of the fifth International Guitar Competition of Finland took place on Saturday, 8 June 2024 at Tampere Hall. In addition to Finland, participants represented Germany, India, Peru, and Denmark. The final was preceded by a video round, organized in collaboration with the competition's Spanish partner festival. It was possible to apply to two separate competitions with one application. The Guitar Competition of Finland is organised by the Tampere Guitar Festival's support association.
The competition's chairman, Seppo Siirala, described the final as follows: "This year, the final of the competition was held in the Small Auditorium of Tampere Hall in front of a large audience. All five finalists represented different nationalities, and the overall level of the players was high. In addition to the competitors' free-choice program, the mandatory piece was Mikko Heiniö's Prelude No. 1. The first prize winner, Marcel Wollny, demonstrated remarkable professional skill and artistic maturity. He performed a diverse and demanding program with ease and control. Jury member, composer Mikko Heiniö, also awarded him a special prize for the best interpretation of the mandatory piece." The third member of the jury was guitarist Jyrki Myllärinen.
The winner of the guitar competition, Marcel Wollny, is a Franco-German guitarist specializing in classical music, flamenco, and chamber music. He completed his bachelor's degree in Frankfurt from 2017 to 2021 and graduated with honors with a master's degree in Stuttgart in 2024. He explored the secrets of flamenco during his Erasmus year in Córdoba, Spain. Wollny has performed as a soloist and in various chamber music ensembles in Germany, France, Spain, and Georgia, and now also in Finland through his prize concert.
Results:
- Marcel Wollny (GER/FR)
- Arul Medini Arul Jothi (IND)
- Eetu Yrjänä (FIN)
- Jorge de la Cruz Larrea (PER)
- Valde Christensen (FIN/DEN)
