Feng NING

Feng Ning - the most recent winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa was born in Chengdu, China in 1981. He started learning the violin with private teacher Mr. Youxin Wen at the age of four, giving his first performance the following year.

In 1992 he entered the High School of Sichuan Conservatoire of Music where he studied with Prof. Weimin Hu. In 1995, Feng Ning participated in the Darrtington International Summer School in England where he had master classes with R. Ricci and his future teacher in London Prof. Hu Kun. In the summer of year 1997 and 1998, he was one of the seven young violinists who were selected from the whole country of China to attend the Morningside Music Bridge workshop in Calgary, Canada. Also in 1997, he won the Grand Prize (for all candidates in four different sections including Violin, Piano, Flute and Oboe) and the First Prize for violin in the 5th International Art Competition for High School Students in Takasaki Japan, and was invited by the Competition Committee several times in the following years to perform in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and made recordings for JVC Victor Records.

In Sep.1998, Feng Ning was invited as a full scholarship student to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Prof. Hu Kun. In Feb.1999, after the master class given by late Lord Y.Menuhin, he was invited by the Maestro to perform in Germany. The late Maestro commented him as: “I was most impressed with his performance …. And feel that he has real talent and musicianship to go very far.” In the same year, Feng Ning won the “Association Damson Francois-Scarbo” Prize in the International Jacques Thibaud Violin Competition in Paris. In April 2000, he came second in the Folkestone Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition for Young Violinist. One week after, he won the Royal Philharmonic Society, “Emily Anderson Prize” in London. In Feb 2001, he was awarded the “The Friends of the Royal Academy of Music - Wigmore Award” and gave his debut recital at the prestigious Wigmore Hall on the 4th of June, 2001. In May 2001, he finished 5th in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium. And two month later, he won the First Prize in the London Oratory International Violin Competition. In year 2002, he was awarded the “Emily English Scholarship” from the Musicians Benevolent Found in London. And in the same year, he received the special prize for “The Best Performance of The Modern Piece” in the International Tchaikovsky Music Competition in Moscow. During his study in the Royal Academy of Music, he was also the winner for few times at the Hattori Foundation in London and was awarded several prizes by the Royal Academy of Music, including the “Roth Prize” for violin and the “Wilfrid Parry Prize” for violin & piano duo. He also received his LRAM (qualification as a violin teacher) from the Academy.

In June 2003, Feng Ning became the first student ever in the nearly 200 years Academy history to be given the full mark (100%) for his Final Recital (end of study exam) in the Royal Academy of Music. And he was elected as the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) which is an Associateship which may only be offered to the graduated student of the Royal Academy who has achieved distinction in their profession.

In September 2003, Feng won the 3rd prize in the Hannover International Violin Competition in Germany. After the competition, he continued his study in Berlin at the Hochschule für Music “Hanns Eisler” with Prof. Antje Weithaas. In December 2003, he won the 1st prize in the XIII Violinwettbewerb der Ibolyka Gyarfas Stiftung.

In June 2005, Feng Ning won the 1st Prize at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand.

In September 2006, Feng Ning won the 1st prize as well as two other special prizes at the prestigious 51st Paganini International Violin Competition in Genova, Italy, and he was invited to perform with the Paganini’s own violin – The 1743 Guarneri del Gesù

In year 2005, Feng Ning’s first solo CD was released in China, he has also made recordings for the JVC Records, Triton Records in Japan, the Cypres Records in Belgium. and his new CD of Paganini’s violin pieces will be released worldwide by the Channel Classics this summer. Feng Ning has performed recitals and concerts in China, Canada, UK, Belgium, France, Italy, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, USA and Germany, with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the China National Symphony Orchestra, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the Belgium National Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, the I Musici de Montreal, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Macao Orchestra, the Baden-Baden Philharmonie etc.