Two Finals, Two Winners: Concertino Praga Concludes Its Jubilee 60th Edition

Eight young musicians from five countries advanced to the finals of the anniversary edition. The Czech Republic had the strongest representation among the finalists.

The final of the wind instruments category took place on Thursday, 17 September, in the Concert Hall of the Prague Conservatory. The finalists performed with the Prague Philharmonia under the baton of Marek Ivanović.

On Friday, 18 September, the finalists in the keyboard and string instruments category appeared in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marek Šedivý.

Both final concerts were broadcast live on Czech Radio Vltava.

“Concertino Praga can be a young musician’s first truly significant step into the professional world. For some finalists, this may be their first experience of the atmosphere of a major concert hall with a great musical tradition and of performing with a top-quality professional orchestra. One of the distinctive features of Concertino Praga is the close connection that develops among the contestants during their two-week stay. The second part is no longer competitive, giving the young musicians the opportunity to get to know their peers from all over the world. These encounters often lead to lifelong friendships and professional collaborations. We are especially delighted that, in the jubilee 60th edition, four young Czech musicians were among the eight finalists,” says Kateřina Konopásková, Director of the Corporate Support and External Relations Division of Czech Radio.

Elen Virabyan wins the wind instruments category

Armenian flautist Elen Virabyan won the wind instruments category and also received the Audience Award. In the final, she performed Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D minor in Jean-Pierre Rampal’s transcription for flute.

Czech trumpeter Vojtěch Stejskal took second place, while Ukrainian oboist Alina Lamziuk finished third. Czech trombonist Sebastian Cretan received a First-Degree Honourable Mention.

“It was amazing. I really enjoyed performing with the orchestra, which was wonderful, and so was the conductor. I am truly grateful that I could be here – after just four days, I completely fell in love with Prague. Right after my performance, I called my mother, who was watching the livestream, to ask her what she thought of how I played. I was very nervous before the results were announced and I really did not want to go back on stage, but afterwards I was incredibly happy,” says Elen Virabyan.

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Lin Tokura wins the second category

Japanese violinist Lin Tokura won the keyboard and string instruments category and, like Elen Virabyan, also received the Audience Award.

New Zealand pianist Xuyao Bai took second place, while Czech cellist Tobiáš Balkovský finished third. Czech pianist Valentýna Ibriqi received a First-Degree Honourable Mention.

“I am very happy and also surprised that I won. I mainly enjoyed today’s performance, I was not too nervous, and I focused on the music. My teacher and my mother have been my greatest support throughout my preparation, and I am very grateful to them,” says Lin Tokura.

Winners selected by an international jury

The finalists’ performances were assessed by an international expert jury made up of leading performers and teachers. Before reaching the live final, the contestants had already undergone anonymous judging of their competition recordings, one of the defining principles of Concertino Praga since its beginnings.

“On both evenings, we witnessed remarkable performances. All it took was to close our eyes and we often had the feeling that we were listening to seasoned artists from the world’s concert stages rather than fourteen- or fifteen-year-old young musicians standing at the very beginning of their careers. I am delighted by the artistic level of both final evenings, and I believe that we will be seeing many of these finalists regularly on concert stages in the future,” says Jan Simon, Director of the Dvořák Prague Festival.

All finalists will receive study scholarships to support their further musical development, ranging from EUR 700 to EUR 5,000. The prizes are provided by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation and other competition partners.