Queen Elisabeth Competition
Twenty-four candidates, including the Belgian Stéphanie Huang, are still in the running in this prestigious international cello competition.
Of the 66 musicians from all over the world, only 24 cellists qualified for the semi-finals, which will be at an exceptional level. Among the most represented nationalities, we find five Koreans including the dazzling Min Ji Kim, three Germans - Anouchka Hack, Constantin Heise and Simon Tetzlaff, two Americans - James Baik and Riana Anthony - and two Dutch cellists - Anton Spronk and Ella van Poucke. Twelve other countries still have a musician in the running, including Belgium, with the brilliant Stéphanie Huang.
Originally from Montigny-le-Tilleul (suburb of Charleroi), Stéphanie Huang was just 4 years old when her mother introduced her to the cello. At the age of 12, she made her debut at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels with Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. Having won several Grand Prix at international competitions, the cellist who trained at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels before obtaining her Artist Diploma at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, can have high hopes for the next round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, with a 1742 Francesco Stradivarius cello generously loaned by the Guttman Collection in her hands.
These semi-finals are taking place in Studio 4 at Flagey in Brussels; they will be open to the public and be presented in two parts. The recitals must include works of the musician's choice (including a sonata for cello and piano), as well as the compulsory unpublished work, written especially for this session by Daan Janssens.
Enthusiasts can follow the programme live until 4 June!