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The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, named after Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, is a competition for violinists up to age 30. It is held every five years in Helsinki.[1][2] The first competition took place in year 1965, eight years after the death of the composer to mark the centenary of the composer's birth.[3] The competition is arranged by the Sibelius Society of Finland and the Sibelius Academy.[4]
The competition has always had high-level competitors, and winners such as Oleg Kagan, Viktoria Mullova, and Leonidas Kavakos have become internationally performing soloists. The popularity amongst the players might be explained by the location of the competition: Finland connecting western Europe and USSR was probably considered safe enough by the Soviet authority to allow players to attend the competition.