As always, for all candidates, from the preselection to the final evening, it was extremely demanding. Everyone, whether selected or not, does not want that first place and certainly this evening not only was there the first prize in itself, but for the first time in history the first laureate takes the famous cello of Pablo Casals (1876-1973) home with them and can use it for four years to, after the great master, play masterfully on it themselves. Which cellist would not want that? It must be an experience of a lifetime.
We will not engage in the open debate about who might have been better to receive that first prize, who didn't really belong in the final and who should have been selected but wasn't... You know the annual recurring opinions. They are always interesting to hear and read. It all forms part of this competition that moves and involves countless people, touches them emotionally deeply. The KEW is more than just a competition, it is an event, an occasion that people talk and debate about for years to come. "Do you remember? That person and that person... Oh yes, and what about that one?"... Let us cherish the KEW, it is rooted in our musical DNA, even though it is said that competitions are only for horses, at least according to Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945).
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 suspense is always tangible, 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 QUEEN ELISABETH PRIZE - € 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, this year offered 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 - Prix RTBF Musiq3 - RTBF Musiq3, La Trois and Auvio invite their listeners and viewers to vote for their favorite candidate among the finalists - € 2.500
The six unranked 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