On May 17th the inscriptions for the Pablo Casals International Award for Young Cellists 2024 were closed. The jury, formed by internationally renowned personalities such as Victor Julien-Laferrière, Peter Thiemann, Erica Wise and also by Bernard Meillat, artistic advisor of the Pau Casals Foundation and secretary of the jury, has deliberated and selected seven finalists.
The Pablo Casals International Award for Young Cellists is open to applicants from all over the world, and this year the competition has received applications from cellists with a very high artistic and technical level. The seven young cello students chosen are up to 22 years of age and come from countries such as Japan, Corea, Germany, Albania, France, Italy and China, a fact that reaffirms the commitment of the Pablo Casals Foundation to support young cellists with the aim of spreading the artistic and human legacy of Pablo Casals around the world.
Apart from the financial endowment of the three prizes of the Award – the finalists aspire to a first prize of 18,000 €, a special AENA prize of 12,000 € and a third prize of 6,000 € -, the Pablo Casals Foundation will offer artistic promotion and professional advice to the winners.
The final audition will take place at the Tivoli Auditorium of the Pablo Casals Municipal School of Music in El Vendrell on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The members of the jury for the final audition will be cellists Ophélie Gaillard, Danjulo Ishizaka, Marie Elisabeth Hecker, Arnau Tomàs and Bernard Meillat, musical advisor of the Pau Casals Foundation and secretary of the jury.
Ruoxi Jing (China)
Ruoxi Jing (China, 2008) started learning cello at the age of five and was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School with excellent grades at the age of twelve, under the guidance of Associate Professor Jia Yu from the Central Conservatory of Music. She received guidance from masters such as Liwei Qin, Mingqing Yu, Young Song, Joanna Sachryn, Martti Rousi, Michel Strauss, Ø yvind Gimse.
Some of her major awards include the First Prize at X. David Popper International Cello Competition (October 2023), Gold Award at Prokofiev International Music Competition (October 2021), the First Place at the 4th Aegean Cup International Cello Competition (September 2021) and the First Prize at Rudolf Barshai International String Competition (March 2021).
She currently studies at the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School with teacher Jia Yu.
Luís Dias Canali (Italy | Portugal)
Luís Dias Canali (Italy, 2009) started playing cello at the age of four, introduced by teacher and cellist Alba Page (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Zürich). Soon he was admitted to the Emanuel Feuermann Konservatorium in Kronberg, Germany, under Erik Richter.
In 2021 Luís was admitted to the Programme for Gifted Young Musicians at École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot (France) where he studies with cellist Henri Demarquette.
He has joined master classes by Joris van den Berg, Philippe Muller, Nadine Pierre, Jens Peter Maintz and Emanuel Wolfgang Schmidt, amongst others.
Some of his major awards include the First Prize at the Vatelot-Rampal Prodige Art (2024), the First Prize at the Stars at Tenerife International Competition (2019) and the First Prize at the International Bach Festival Competition for Young Musicians (2018).
Gabriel Guignier (France)
Gabriel Guignier (France, 2006) started learning cello at the age of four in Veronique Alvarez’s Class in Aulnay-Sous-Bois.
From 2017 to 2020 he participated in Proquartett in a Chamber Music course with the «Voce Quartet». In 2021 he joined the class of Jérôme Pernoo at Paris National Conservatory of Music. Currently, he studies with Edgar Moreau at Paris National Conservatory of Music, where he enthusiastically follows all the courses of the National Conservatory of Music curriculum but also, has the possibility to take optional courses in theater and piano. He is also very involved in chamber music, having the chance to study with Luc-Marie Aguera and Emmanuel Strosser.
In 2022 he was selected to participate in the Masterclasses of the Kronberg Academy in Germany.
Some of his major awards include First Prize in the 2023 International Klaipeda David Geringas Cello Competition (C Category). Third Prize in the International Cello Competition Tremplin in Aulnay-sous bois, France (2021). Second Prize in the 2021 Prodiges arts Competition (Superior Level) and 1st Prize in the 2018 Prodiges arts compétition Vatelot-Rampal in Paris, France.
Klaudio Zoto (Albania)
Klaudio Zoto (Albania, 2003) started playing cello at a very young age. His education includes taking masterclasses with Antonio Meneses at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy. He also studied with Meneses at the Accademia Walter Stauffer in Cremona and is currently studying at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf under Prof. Gregor Horsch.
He also joined masterclasses by Gautier Capuçon, Jens-Peter Maintz, David Geringas and Anssi Karttunen.
At age fifteen he performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the National Opera Orchestra of Albania and he was the youngest participant at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2022, being eighteen.
Some of his major awards include Third Prize at the Sieghardt-Rometsch-Wettbewerb, Audience Award at the „Debüt um 11“ at Ruhrfestspielhaus Recklinghausen and the Live-Music-Now-Rhein-Ruhr Scholarship.
Arne Jesper Zeller (Germany)
Arne Jesper Zeller (Germany, 2006) started playing cello at the age of six. He was initially educated by Moritz Reutlinger (Trier) and Daniel Geiss (Department of Music at Mainz University), and aged 14 changed to the pre-college class of Professor Peter Bruns at the “Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ Leipzig.
He is an award winner in national and international competitions, for example receiving the first prize at the International Anna Kull Competition for Cello in Graz in 2020, first prize at the International Gustav-Mahler Cello Competition in 2022, and IN 2023 the second prize at the 29th international Brahms Competition in Pörtschach.
At the age of 15 Arne was assigned active participant in the Cello masterclasses at Kronberg Academy by Professor Frans Helmerson and received a scholarship for further lessons there, where in 2024 he was elected to participate as a Junior for “Chambermusic Connects the World” Festival.
He currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater „Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ in Leipzig (Germany) with Prof. Peter Bruns.
Yewon Cho (South Korea)
Yewon Cho (Republic of Korea, 2003) grew up listening to music naturally under the influence of her mother, who is also a cellist.
She studied at the Korea National Institute for Gifted in Art from 2014 to 2020 and started her Bachelor at Korea National University of Arts in 2020 at age sixteen, finishing her early graduation of excellent students in 2023.
Currently, she is an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium with teachers Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling.
Some of her major awards include the First Prize at the 2015 Strad Korea Competition, First Prize at the 2016 Antonio Janigro International Competition in Croatia, Second Prize at the 2017 Popper International Competition, Winner of the Shinhan Music Award in 2020 and the Third Prize at the 2024 Triomphe de l’Art Music Competition.
Yo Kitamura (Japan)
Yo Kitamura (Japan, 2004) started playing cello at age four.
He has studied with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Berlin University of the Arts and Prof. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi at Toho Gakuen College of Music. He won the 1st prize and the special prize at the 29th International Johannes Brahms Competition and 1st prize and five special prizes at the 92th Japan Music Competition, the most prestigious in Japan in 2023. He won the 1st prize unanimously at the 10th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2017, and the 2nd prize at the 2022 Khachaturian International Competition. He made his orchestra debut at the age of 9, and his recital debut at 10.
He has taken masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Jens-Peter Maintz, Mischa Maisky, Philippe Muller and Wolfgang Boettcher.