Brussels – Saturday 17/05/2026
The twelve finalists of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello have been announced. Canadians Andrew Ilhoon Byun and Leland Ko reached the semifinals.
Cello Competition 2026: Final
From Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May, at 8.15 pm (Studio 4, Flagey)
The 12 finalists are:
- 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 twelve finalists of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition
More about each Finalists of Queen Elisabeth Competition 2026: www.queenelisabethcompetition.be
Jury for the final
The composition of the jury may vary from one round to the other, but jury members serve for the entire round to which they are appointed. For the final, the jury consists of: Gilles Ledure (Chairman), Natalie Clein, Roel Dieltiens, Valentin Erben, Ophélie Gaillard, Anne Gastinel, Marie Hallynck, Gregor Horsch, Anssi Karttunen, Daniel Müller-Schott, Sharon Robinson, Jian Wang & Sonia Wieder-Atherton.
Novelty this year, the members of the jury are using tablets to consult the scores of the works performed by the candidates, including the compulsory piece, and to take notes during their performances.
More about the jury members:
www.queenelisabethcompetition.be
Programme of the final
The final will take place at the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts, from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May. Each evening, two finalists will perform with the Belgian National Orchestra, conducted by Antony Hermus.
The finalists will each perform a concerto of their own choice and the unpublished imposed work, Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers, especially written by Fang Man for the final of this cello session (world première on Monday 25 May 2026). The candidates receive the score once they arrive at the Music Chapel. They only have one week to study it, without outside help.
Broadcasts & livestream
Thanks to the RTBF and the VRT the performances are broadcast live and on demand on our website, on the VRT MAX and RTBF Auvio platforms, and on Belgian national radio and television. On Saturday 16 May around midnight the proclamation of the 12 finalists will also be streamed and broadcast live.
Schedule of the Final:
www.queenelisabethcompetition.be
Find all information about The Queen Elisabeth Competition 2026 at www.queenelisabethcompetition.be
