The Concertino Praga has its finalists
The last week of April saw the international jury reach its decision on the finalists in the 56th year of Concertino Praga - the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians. This year, the competition was held in the solo category.
The ten-member jury assessed the performances of all the competitors. The following performers finished in the top four places: the violoncellist Polina Tkhay (Russia), the violinist Diana Chausheva (Bulgaria), the pianist Nikolai Biryukov (Russia) and the pianist Victor Vichev (Bulgaria).
Visa applications from citizens of the Russian Federation have been suspended (in compliance with Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic no. 254/2022 dated 30.3.2022) due to the Russian Federation’s military aggression in the territory of Ukraine. As such, the competitors Polina Tkhay and Nikolai Biryukov cannot participate in the competition’s final round. The public finale will therefore include those competitors, whom the jury adjudged to be the next in line, namely the trumpeter Filippo Lombardi (Italy) and the violinist Richard Kollert (the Czech Republic).
The finalists Diana Chausheva, Richard Kollert, Filippo Lombardi and Victor Vichev will vie for victory in the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians at a public concert held in the Rudolfinum on Saturday 16 September 2022 with accompaniment from the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the conductor Robert Jindra.
Detailed information regarding the first round of the Concertino Praga 2022 solo category is available in the score sheet for the solo category.
"It was quite an experience to hear these young artists play and I frequently found it hard to believe that somebody, who is not even 15 years of age, could play so flawlessly. Sometimes, even professionals do not perform at such a level. It is fantastic and it was an honour for me to be of even slight assistance to them at the very start of their wonderful careers. I would like to thank you for everything that you are doing for these great talents.“, is how the Czech harpist Jana Boušková assessed the first round of this year's competition.
The competition winner will receive the opportunity to make his or her own promotional recording at Czech Radio. The other prizes include scholarships at the amount of 5000, 2800 and 1700 EUR provided by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation and other partners. The winners can use the financial prizes awarded by the Academy of Classical Music to continue their musical education or to purchase a new instrument. The audience at the finale will have the opportunity to vote for the winner of the audience prize.
The jury has also awarded a number of special prizes in addition to the scholarships and the profile CD. The Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Prize went to Nikolai Biryukov for the best performance of one of the composer’s works. The Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Endowment Fund Prize for the best performance of a work from the 20th or 21st centuries went to Polina Tkhay.
The price for the most successful Czech participant, issued by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation, has been awarded to Richard Kollert.
All of the finalists will subsequently perform at the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival.
