London – Following the success of its 2024 London event, attended by King Charles III and featuring Simon Zhu, the legendary "Cannone" violin and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antonio Pappano, the Premio Paganini has returned to the United Kingdom to present the call for applications for its 59th edition and introduce its new international jury, chaired by Chinese violinist Ning Feng. The presentation, held on June 25, featured Premio Paganini President Giovanni Panebianco, Artistic Director Nicola Bruzzo, and Ning Feng, who won the competition in 2006 and now succeeds Uto Ughi as chair of the international jury. The jury also includes South Korean violinist Ju-Young Baek; Mauro Bucarelli, Artistic Secretary of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; Italian violinist Francesca Dego; American violinist and violist Ida Kavafian; Roman Simovic, concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra; and Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai. Compared with previous editions, the panel features a stronger female presence and a younger average age. The repertoire for the 59th competition reflects a broader stylistic range and a more contemporary vision of the virtuoso soloist, while continuing to give significant prominence to chamber music. Among the most notable innovations is the semifinal performance of a new work for violin and live electronics commissioned from Italian composer Matteo Franceschini, marking an important opening toward contemporary artistic languages. The competition will culminate with the finals in Genoa in October 2027, involving venues across both the city center and surrounding districts. Live preliminary rounds will take place between April and May 2027 in Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, Genoa and New York. The final stages of the competition will be held in Genoa from October 12 to 24, 2027, at Palazzo Tursi, the Teatro Carlo Felice, and the Teatro Gustavo Modena. Applications will be open from September 1 to December 1, 2026. (9colonne)