Violinist Grigory Sedukh and Pianist Natalia Erte Win Gold Medal at Art Excellence Awards for Recording of Berliner’s Composition

Violinist Grigory Sedukh and pianist Natalia Erte received the Gold Medal at the Art Excellence Awards for their recording of Jacob’s Dream, a fantasy sonata by Israeli composer Baruch Berliner.

The international Art Excellence Awards, organized in Russia by the International Academy of Contemporary Arts, ranks among the world’s largest competitions by the number of participating countries. It brings together artists from five continents and over 100 nations, establishing it as a major event in global art.

Mr. Sedukh is a unique performer—the only soloist in the world playing the violino piccolo, an exceptional instrument crafted in the mid-20th century by American acoustician Dr. Carleen M. Hutchins. This instrument embodies the zenith of Dr. Hutchins’s 30 years of scientific research on string instruments crafted between the 18th and 21st centuries.

The violino piccolo’s range extends an octave above that of the standard violin. Special 0.178 mm-thick E strings, developed by Bell Laboratories for NASA in collaboration with the renowned Super-Sensitive Musical String Company, are employed to reach this high register.

Ms. Erte is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the 13th Maria Yudina International Competition (Russia, 2017, first prize) and the Fourth International Competition “Contemporary Art and Education” (Russia, 2009). She has also won awards as part of chamber ensembles, including at the Fifth Maria Yudina International Competition (Russia, 2003, second prize), the Gartow Stiftung Chamber Music Competition (Germany, 2004, third prize), and the Charles Hennen Concours (2006, Netherlands, first prize and special award).

The composition was recorded in October 2024 at the studio of the Mravinsky School of Music in St. Petersburg.

Sound engineer by Alejandro Contreras Koob

Video shooting and editing by Andres Izmaylov

Executive director of the project: Evgeny Atsapkin

Produced by Nachum Slutzker

Congratulations to Grigory and Natalia, wishing them many more successes ahead.