Queen Elisabeth Competition Names 12 Cello Finalists
The prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition has announced the 12 finalists for its 2026 cello edition, selecting musicians from 11 countries following an intense week of semi-final performances at Flagey in Brussels. Jury president Gilles Ledure proclaimed the names on Saturday evening, setting the stage for the final rounds that will take place from 25 to 30 May at Bozar (Centre for Fine Arts), where each evening two finalists will perform with the Belgian National Orchestra conducted by Antony Hermus.
The Finalists
The 12 cellists advancing to the final represent a diverse international field spanning Europe, Asia, and North America. They are: Maria Zaitseva (Russia, b. 2001), Lionel Martin (Germany, b. 2003), Yo Kitamura (Japan, b. 2004), Ivan Sendetsky (Russia, b. 1996), Ettore Pagano (Italy, b. 2003), Clara Dietlin (France, b. 2001), Dilshod Narzillaev (Uzbekistan, b. 1997), Álvaro Lozano Cames (Spain, b. 2006), Leland Ko (United States/Canada, b. 1998), Krzysztof Michalski (Poland, b. 2003), Andrew Ilhoon Byun (Canada, b. 1998), and Tae-Yeon Kim (South Korea, b. 2006).
At 19 years old, Tae-Yeon Kim is the youngest finalist, while 29-year-old Ivan Sendetsky is the oldest. Notably, among the 64 initial candidates, no Belgian cellist was selected for the final, as reported by RTBF.
The Road to the Final
Starting Monday, the first two finalists—Maria Zaitseva and Lionel Martin—will enter the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, where they will live in isolation for one week to prepare. As The Bulletin describes, “this period of isolation at the chapel is akin to a retreat as they will have no contact with the outside world. Abandoning all digital devices, including smartphones, the sequestration is designed to help them focus on the arduous task ahead in tranquil surroundings.”
Finalists will arrive two by two, each with a week to learn the imposed work—“Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers” by Chinese-born American composer Fang Man—and rehearse the concerto of their choice. The imposed piece is a world premiere commissioned specifically for the final.
A Historic Year for the Competition
The 2026 edition carries exceptional historical significance. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition under its current name, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876-1965), who founded the competition, and the 150th anniversary of the birth of legendary cellist Pablo Casals (1876-1973).
To honour these milestones, the Pau Casals Foundation has loaned Casals’ own Goffriller cello from 1733—known as the “Casals” cello—to the first laureate for a period of four years, as confirmed by the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s official website.
Prize Structure and Attendance
The first laureate will receive the Queen Mathilde Prize of €25,000, with prizes of €20,000, €17,000, €12,500, €10,000, and €8,000 for second through sixth place respectively. The six unranked laureates will each receive €4,000. Queen Mathilde of Belgium will attend the final rounds.
All tickets for the final rounds are sold out, but the performances will be broadcast live on RTBF (La Trois, Musiq3, Auvio) and VRT, as La Libre Belgique reports.
Analysis: A Competition at a Crossroads of History
The 2026 edition arrives at a moment of rich historical convergence. The competition was founded in 1937 by Queen Elisabeth as the Eugène Ysaÿe Competition, and was renamed in 1951. This year marks three significant anniversaries simultaneously: 75 years under its current name, 150 years since the birth of its founder, and 150 years since the birth of Pablo Casals—one of the greatest cellists in history.
The loan of Casals’ own Goffriller cello to the first laureate is an extraordinary prize that connects the winner directly to this legacy. The instrument, crafted in 1733 by Matteo Goffriller in Venice, was Casals’ preferred cello throughout his legendary career.
This is only the third cello edition in the competition’s history, following the inaugural cello competition in 2017. The discipline joined the competition’s established four-year cycle of violin, piano, voice, and cello, and has quickly become a major fixture in the international cello calendar.
What to Watch For
The final rounds run from Monday 25 May to Saturday 30 May, with performances beginning each evening at 8:15 PM at Bozar. The ranking of the six laureates will be announced around midnight on 30 May. Following the competition, a series of laureates’ recitals and concerts will take place at Flagey and Bozar through 10 June, featuring the winners alongside the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Brussels Philharmonic.
As one of the “Big Five” international classical music competitions—alongside the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the International Chopin Piano Competition, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and the Leeds International Piano Competition—the Queen Elisabeth Competition has served as a launchpad for generations of musicians. With a historic cello loan, a world-premiere composition by Fang Man, and an exceptionally diverse field of finalists spanning 11 countries, the 2026 edition promises to be one of the most memorable in the competition’s storied history.