As always, it was extremely demanding for all candidates, from the preliminary round to the final evening. Everyone, whether selected or not, certainly doesn't want that first place, and especially since tonight wasn't just about the first prize itself, but for the first time in history, the first laureate takes home the famous Casals cello by Pablo Casals (1876-1973) and can use it for four years to play masterfully on it, following in the great master's footsteps. What cellist wouldn't want that? It must truly be an experience of a lifetime.
We won't engage in the open debate about who might have deserved first prize, who didn't really belong in the final, and who should have been selected but wasn't… You know the opinions that resurface every year. They're always fascinating to hear and read about. It's all part of this competition that moves and involves countless people, touching them deeply. The KEW is more than just a competition, it's an event, a spectacle that people talk and debate about for years to come. "Remember? That person and that one… Oh yes, and what about them?"… Let's cherish the KEW—it's rooted in our musical DNA, even though, as the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945) allegedly said, competitions are only for horses.
Gilles Ledure, chairman of the KEW, rang the bell—a true ritual that commands silence in the hall. He has the honor and pleasure of calling the prize winners from 1 to 6 and the six unranked candidates in alphabetical order to the stage. The tension is always palpable, even during this edition… Here's to another 75 years!
The twelve laureates in alphabetical order
Andrew Ilhoon Byun – Clara Dietlin – Tae-Yeon Kim – Yo Kitamura – Leland Ko – Álvaro Lozano Cames – Lionel Martin – Krzysztof Michalski – Dilshod Narzillaev – Ettore Pagano – Ivan Sendetsky – Maria Zaitseva
The Results
Ettore Pagano –First Prize – Queen Mathilde Prize – GRAND INTERNATIONAL PRIZE QUEEN ELISABETH – €25,000
The First Laureate also receives the Goffriller 'Casals' cello on loan for a period of four years, thanks to the Pau Casals Foundation.
Tae-Yeon Kim – Second Prize, offered by the Federal Science Policy (Belspo) – PRIZE OF THE BELGIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT – €20,000
Leland Ko – Third Prize – COUNT DE LAUNOIT PRIZE – €17,000
Álvaro Lozano Cames –Fourth Prize, offered this year by the Government of the French Community – PRIZE OF THE COMMUNITY GOVERNMENTS OF BELGIUM – €12,500
Yo Kitamura –Fifth Prize – PRIZE OF THE BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION – €10,000
Maria Zaitseva – Sixth Prize – PRIZE OF THE CITY OF BRUSSELS – €8,000
Tae-Yeon Kim –Klara Prize – Klara and VRT MAX invite their listeners and viewers to vote for their favorite candidate among the finalists – €2,500
Álvaro Lozano Cames – RTBF Musiq3 Prize – RTBF Musiq3 and La Trois on Auvio invite their listeners and viewers to vote for their favorite finalist – €2,500
Six non-ranked laureates each receive €4,000 WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL LOTTERY
Andrew Ilhoon Byun – Clara Dietlin – Lionel Martin – Krzysztof Michalski – Dilshod Narzillaev – Ivan Sendetsky
