A 17-year-old violinist has won the 21st edition of Eurovision Young Musicians, the prestigious international music competition, held this year at the Stormen Concert Hall in Bodø, Norway by NRK.

Austria's Leonhard Baumgartner impressed the jury with an outstanding performance of Henri Vieuxtemps' Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor (abbreviated version)

Hugo Svedberg from Sweden, who plays the cello, took second place, while third place went to flautist Fabian Egger from Germany. Each musician delivered a stellar performance, reflecting the high standards of the competition, which is one of the most important platforms for showcasing emerging young classical musicians worldwide.

Leonhard gave his country a record 6th win at the Eurovision Young Musicians competition - each time with a violinist! 

Commenting on his victory, he said, “I am deeply grateful to be able to share the gift of music and bring joy to the world. I hope to make the world a more peaceful place through music. I am also very thankful to everyone who has supported me on my musical path.”

Leonhard's ability to convey deep musical emotion, combined with technical mastery, earned him the unanimous praise of a distinguished jury of renowned musicians: Tabita Berglund, Marianna Shirinyan, Andreas Sundén, and Martin Grubinger. In their statement, the jury lauded his "extraordinary virtuosity, deep musical understanding, and the capability to fill the concert hall as a true soloist."

Born in Vienna in 2007, Leonhard has gone on to win prizes at numerous competitions, including: 1st prize of the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, 1st prize at the Ilona Fehér International Competition, Discovery Award of the International Classical Music Awards, Carl Flesch Prize, London Young Musician of the Year and many others. Leonhard studies with Dora Schwarzberg at mdw Vienna. Parallel are studies with Ingolf Turban at HMTM Munich.

He made his debut with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the Vienna Konzerthaus at the age of 15, and has also performed as a soloist with the NFM Philharmonic Wrozław, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn and many other renowned orchestras. 

Eleven young musicians participated in this year’s competition, representing Armenia (AMPTV), Austria (ORF), Belgium (RTBF), Czechia (CT), France (FTV), Germany (WDR), Norway (NRK), Poland (TVP), Serbia (RTS), Sweden (SVT), and Switzerland (SRG SSR). 

Eurovision Young Musicians has been organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1982. By celebrating creativity, cultural diversity, and the universal language of music, the event for talented 12 to 21 year-olds aims to inspire and connect people across borders.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK hosted this year’s event and produced the TV broadcast, which reached 11 European countries and millions of viewers. It is Norway's second time hosting the contest, following Bergen's successful tenure in 2000.

Silje Nordnes and Mona Berntsen hosted the TV broadcast from Bodø. The young soloists performed with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Eivind Aadland.