After its successful launch in 2004, I am delighted to welcome you to the  Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition of 2008.  I hope there will be many more in years to come.

This Competition aims to bring to London the best young violinists from around the world.  The competitors of 2004 were of an extremely high standard and I expect those entering for 2008 will be of even higher quality because, in the world of music as in so many other fields of endeavour, standards rise year by year.

This in itself makes it harder to break on to the world stage but I hope that this Competition provides an opportunity, not otherwise available, for some of the competitors to make their first impact in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world’s leading orchestras.  Those not reaching the finals will also benefit from the Competition by having played a difficult programme in front of a distinguished Jury and knowledgeable audience, and will have learned from the experience.

It is never easy to raise funds for competitions and therefore I am particularly grateful to those generous individuals and organisations that have made this event possible.  It is a sad fact that the Arts are finding it increasingly difficult to attract support;  this is the only remaining Violin Competition of international standing in the United Kingdom.  Without supporters like ours, music competitions in this country will die.  I do hope that some of the audience listening to these talented young players will feel able to ensure future Benjamin Britten International Violin Competitions.

Finally, I should like to acknowledge the support of Goodenough College, where this Competition was born and nurtured.  The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, have both actively supported the event as Partners, as has the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra which has agreed to become a long term Partner of this Competition at the same time making its home base, The Cadogan Hall, the Competition’s permanent venue.

My thanks also go to our distinguished Jury and to the competitors, who have worked so hard and given us such pleasure.  Last but by no means least, I am hugely grateful to Dima Tkachenko, my Artistic Director and the instigator of the Competition.