We know the finalists
The international jury reached its decision on the finalists in the 55th Concertino Praga in the last week of April. This year was the first time that the competition took place in two categories concurrently. This involved the solo and chamber ensemble categories, where ensembles ranging from duos to sextets could register.
Three pianists Ryan Martin Bradshaw (Slovakia), Ildikó Rozsonits (Hungary), Jan Schulmeister (Czech Republic) and violinist Mark Anthony Lewin (Germany) will vie for the victory in the solo category of the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians at the Rudolfinum on Saturday 18 September 2021. Their finale performances will be accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra led by the Armenian conductor and pianist, Vahan Mardirossian.
Detailed information about the course of the second round of the Concertino Praga in solo category is available in Result list.
“My favourite is one of the pianists – for a while I even doubted that it could be a child under the set age limit. Such an exceptionally intense and detailed performance knocked me off my feet. I returned to the recording several times during the judging so that I could compare it to the other performances. It was an exceptional experience for me.” is how Peter Dan Ferenčík, a member of the music editing board at Radio Devin (Slovak Radio and television), described this year’s competition in the solo category.
Duo Mráček–Pěruška (Czech Republic), Trio Vyšehrad (Czech Republic), Trio INNsolitus (Austria) and Veloce String Quartet (Poland) will perform for the jury and the public at the final competition concert on Friday 17 September 2021. They will face off at the Convent of Saint Agnes of Bohemia.
Detailed information about the course of the second round of the Concertino Praga in chamber category is available in Result list.
The competition winners in both categories will be given the opportunity of recording their own promotional recordings at Czech Radio. The other prizes include scholarships at the amount of 5000, 2800 and 1700 EUR which are sponsored by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation and other partners. The winners can use the financial prize awarded by the Academy of Classical Music for their further musical education or to purchase a new musical instrument. The audience at the final concert will also be able to award the audience prize.
In addition to the scholarships and the profile CD, the jury has now also decided to award a number of special prizes. Lora and Syon Duo has received the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Prize for the best performance of the composer’s work. Veloce String Quartet has received The Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Endowment Fund Award which the foundation issues for the best performance of a contemporary work. The prize for the best Czech participant, which is provided by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation, has been awarded to the pianist Jan Schulmeister, who is no newcomer to Concertino Praga. Last year, he received an honourable mention and the EMCY Prize at the final.
All the finalists will subsequently perform at the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival.
