{
    "title": "Twelve cellists compete in Queen Elisabeth Competition finals",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-25 08:11:38",
    "published_at": "2026-05-25 08:11:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/twelve-cellists-compete-in-queen-elisabeth-competition-finals",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/MwHd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "twelve-cellists-compete-in-queen-elisabeth-competition-finals",
    "body": "<p><strong>The final rounds of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello open on Monday at Bozar in Brussels, running until Saturday 30 May. Two finalists will perform each evening with the Belgian National Orchestra, guided by Dutch conductor Antony Hermus.</strong></p><p>Each contestant will perform &quot;Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers&quot; by Fang Man, a work written specifically for this cello final. They had just one week to learn it, without outside assistance. The finalists will also perform a concerto of their own choosing.</p><p>The twelve finalists are Andrew Ilhoon Byun, Clara Dietlin, Tae-Yeon Kim, Yo Kitamura, Leland Ko, &Aacute;lvaro Lozano Cames, Lionel Martin, Krzysztof Michalski, Dilshod Narzillaev, Ettore Pagano, Ivan Sendetsky and Maria Zaitseva. They represent Canada, France, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Spain, Germany, Poland, Uzbekistan, Italy and Russia.</p><p>The rankings will be announced after the final performance on Saturday 30 May, around midnight. All tickets for the finals, the winners&#039; concerts and the closing ceremony are sold out.</p><h4 id=\"anniversary-year\" >Anniversary year</h4><p>The 2026 edition is an anniversary year for the competition: it is being held for the 75th time, and the organisers are marking the 150th anniversary of both Queen Elisabeth&#039;s birth - who founded the competition - and that of the Catalan cellist Pablo Casals, with whom the Queen shared a close friendship. This year, the winner will additionally be loaned Casals&#039; Goffriller cello, built in 1733.</p><p>This is only the third time the Queen Elisabeth Competition has centred on the cello. The first cello edition was held in 2017 and won by French cellist Victor Julien-Laferri&egrave;re, while South Korean Hayoung Choi took first prize in 2022.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>&copy; BELGA PHOTO MARIUS BURGELMAN</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-457c4e76-3c07-4be1-a1c9-c652745669c7\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/cellists-step-into-the-spotlight-as-the-queen-elisabeth-competition-commences\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F8387a8eb-3937-463a-89b7-230c6fed20ba%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=b0bf5657b975a349d68b3af53590fc48)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/cellists-step-into-the-spotlight-as-the-queen-elisabeth-competition-commences\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"457c4e76-3c07-4be1-a1c9-c652745669c7\"\n           >\n                Cellists step into spotlight as Queen Elisabeth Competition commences            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello begins on Monday, with the first rounds taking place at Flagey in Brussels from 4-9 May. The prestigious...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fcellists-step-into-the-spotlight-as-the-queen-elisabeth-competition-commences&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Cellists step into spotlight as Queen Elisabeth Competition commences",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/cellists-step-into-the-spotlight-as-the-queen-elisabeth-competition-commences"
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
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