Jayden King becomes youngest George Enescu Competition winner

American violinist Jayden King, aged 11, has become the youngest winner in the history of the George Enescu International Competition. King secured First Prize in the Violin Section of the 2026 edition after performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major at the Romanian Athenaeum.

In addition to the top prize, King received the Audience Award and the award for the best interpretation of the compulsory work, ‘Still Life with Fallen Stone’ by Lembit Beecher. The competition final featured the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Harry Ogg.

The podium was completed by Francesco Papa of Italy, who took Second Prize and the ‘Ștefan și Valentin Gheorghiu’ prize for the best performance of an Enescu Sonata, and Eun Che Kim of South Korea, who earned Third Prize. The international jury was led by violinist Mihaela Martin.