Classic Cello Competition Announces the Winner
Bringing to a close an extraordinary two weeks of music, Classic Cello’s final day saw the last three finalists take to the stage of the magnificent Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, presenting jurors with a series of outstanding performances alongside the Philharmonia Orchestra, London, who were led by conductor Tomàs Grau (Spain).
“I think it’s a terrific thing to have a cello competition”, said juror Deborah Borda. “We have violin competitions, we have piano competitions, we have conducting competitions, but it’s not so often that one gets to hear a cello competition. It’s a wonderful opportunity for people. I think everybody was well taken care of here, everything was well prepared, and it’s fantastic to have a full orchestra in the finals, and a great orchestra like the Philharmonia at that, to have them play here. That really made a difference. And we saw a great range of talent, some remarkable, and some ok, and that’s what the adventure is about in a competition.”
Over this Final Round, contestants have been interpreting two cello concertos back-to-back, including one historic piece chosen from amongst works by Édouard Lalo, Edward Elgar, and Robert Schumann, and a contemporary work selected from three compositions by Composer-in-Residence Alexey Shor.
Following the last participant, the jury panel, chaired by Artistic Director Alexander Chaushian, and comprising Dorran Alibaud (France), Deborah Borda (USA), Angela Dixon (UK), Kathryn Enticott (UK), Michael Haefliger (Switzerland), Ursula Haselböck (Austria), Paul Hughes (UK), Florian Leonhard (UK), Julian Lloyd Webber (UK), and James Williams (UK), retreated in order to tally up the votes, with all the finalists gathering in the hall soon after to discover the final standings.
“It was really important to see how they present themselves in front of a full orchestra”, Hughes said, “how they interact with the conductor, so that we get a real sense of them as rounded artists. It’s the last bit of the picture really, which I like very much. I’ve been looking forward to this because we’ve got some really lovely repertoire to listen to, we have Schumann and Elgar, and Lalo, and Shor, so that’s good. I’ve seen Shor’s works online, and I know various artists who’ve played his concertos, but it’s the first time I’ve heard them live, and it’s been good that they have to do both of these things, and to have Alexey with us and see what he thinks. In a way it’s a privilege to play in front of the composer. If you’ve got a good composer who writes the pieces and then allows it to go out into the world and be played in many different ways, then it’s a joy to play in front of them. The difficulty is the balance of making sure they can be heard across the orchestra. Alexey writes very flamboyantly, and they had to make sure that all the details of Alexey’s score came through, but also that the solo part came through as well, and that’s a difficult job.”
During the Prize Ceremony that followed, Jung A Kim, the competition’s youngest contestant, was awarded the First Prize of €50,000, Yi Joon Park won the Second Prize of €30,000, and Artyom Ioanisyan went home with the €20,000 Third Prize. The remaining six finalists each got a share of the competition’s prize fund, in recognition of their hard work and achievements.
“Winning this competition is like a dream”, the young cellist said. “I still can’t believe it, it’s all so surreal. For this Final Round I played the Schumann concerto, which I felt would help me grow as a musician, which is why I chose it, and I chose the Cello Concerto No. 3 from Alexey Shor, because I thought that I can really express myself very well with this piece. It’s a really nice work. Now, I want to work even harder and continue studying and expanding my repertoire more, and I hope that the experience of winning this competition will help me on this journey.”
In addition to its main prizes, Classic Cello also gave out a series of Special Prizes and Awards, including:
- The Florian Leonhard Fellowship Prize, consisting of a two-year loan of a valuable 18th-century cello made by the Carcassi brothers, contributed by the Florian Leonhard Fellowship (London), which was won by Jung A Kim,
- The Talent Norge Special Prize of NOK 30,000, awarded to Francesco Stefanelli, for the best performance in the Second Round,
- A number of Special Prizes from Larsen Strings, including a new, yet-to-be-released cello string set, a personal string workshop with Dr Thomas Zwieg, one year of Larsen Friend Status, and a one-year supply of Larsen cello strings, which were awarded to the three top-ranked cellists.
“What we have witnessed in this Final Round has been truly extraordinary”, said Chaushian. “The level of artistry, individuality, and musical talent shown by these young musicians has been deeply inspiring, and to see a 14-year-old artist rise to this level is something quite remarkable. It speaks not only to her exceptional skill, but to the incredible future that lies ahead for this generation of cellists.”
With its first edition complete, Classic Cello, which has been organised by CMDI, and helmed by President Konstantin Ishkhanov, has now emphatically announced itself as a major new fixture on the global classical music calendar, showcasing the talents of the world’s young cellists like no other contest on the scene today.
With all eyes fixed on its winner, Jung A Kim, the competition now looks to build on this strong foundation, and continue working to strengthen and promote the beautiful world of the cello and its many talented practitioners all around the world.
“This has been a very special moment for all of us”, said Ishkhanov. “To see such young artists perform at this level, with such maturity and conviction, is a powerful reminder of why we created this competition. We are incredibly proud of all the finalists, and we look forward to following their journeys as they continue to grow and establish themselves on the international stage.”
