Ailen Pritchin, a Russian violinist of Vietnamese origin, has won the third prize of 10,000 EUR in cash at the seventh international Frits Kraisler violin competition, which wrapped up in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on September 23.

The 22-year-old Vietnamese-Russian violinist is currently studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. His father Nguyen Van Thong, is a businessman and his Russian mother, Marina Pritchina, is a teacher in Saint-Petersburg.

Ailen has won four first prizes at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Japan and third prize at the international violin competition in Sweden last year.

The young violinist plans to get a doctorate degree at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, which will provide him with opportunities to perform world-wide.

First prize of the Frits Kraisler competition this year was worth 15,000 EUR and second prize 12,000 EUR. These prizes went to Russian violinists Nikita Borisoglebsky and Ekaterina Frolova.

Frits Kraisler (1875-1962) was an Austrian musician and a violinist of exceptional talent. The international violin competition named after him was first organised in 1979./.