The event is an opportunity with responsibility, Zhou explains. "It is our responsibility to continuously provide opportunities to the contestants. This support is what makes the competition special."

The contest, originally scheduled for August 2020, was put off because of travel complications caused by COVID-19. Recently, the organizers announced that the final round of the competition would not be held nor candidates ranked. Instead, six finalists would each receive a scholarship award of $20,000.

The competition is named after American maestro violinist Isaac Stern (1920-2001) and organized by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as a biennial event since 2016 that provides a prize of $100,000 to the top winner, more than any other violin competition.

Executive director of the SISIVC organizing committee Chen Yin has kept track of the career progress of winners of the past two editions of the competition.

"We systematically follow their careers in the long run by regularly mailing them, asking about their requirements, and helping to get work opportunities."

American Chinese violinist Nancy Zhou, top winner of the second edition of the SISIVC in 2018, played the No 1 Violin Concerto by Chinese musician Zhao Jiping during New Jersey Symphony's East/West: A Symphonic Celebration on July 20 at the Lincoln Center in the United States.

"The competition facilitated the growth of not only my career but also my musicianship, predicated on a set of critical skills that were tested through the repertoire," Zhou said in an exclusive interview with music critic Jon Sobel.

"Through the competition's robust network and affiliations with various high-quality orchestras, I was able to form and continually foster connections with conductors, mentors and orchestral administrators."