Semi-final Cello 2026
Monday 11 May 2026 - Saturday 16 May 2026 (15:00 & 20:00) Flagey, Brussels
At each session, which consists of two parts, the public hears four different semi-finalists. Each of the 24 semi-finalists will perform a recital with piano accompaniment and on another day a concerto by Michael Haydn, Leopold Hofmann or Anton Kraft, accompanied by the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, conducted by Vahan Mardirossian.
- All dates
- Monday 11 May 2026
- Tuesday 12 May 2026
- Wednesday 13 May 2026
- Thursday 14 May 2026
- Friday 15 May 2026
- Saturday 16 May 2026
Monday 11 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Maria Zaitseva
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Isaac Lottman
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Anna Meipariani
Sergey Prokofiev Sonata in C major op. 119
Harold Noben Caffeine
Ilonka Heilingloh, pianist accompanist
Álvaro Lozano Cames
Benjamin Britten Sonata in C major op. 65
Harold Noben Caffeine
Karl Davidov Evening twilight op. 20/4
Karl Davidov At the Fountain op. 20/2
Naoko Sonoda, pianist accompanist
Monday 11 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Lionel Martin
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Yo Kitamura
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Léo Ispir
Harold Noben Caffeine
Gabriel Fauré Elégie op. 24
Franz Schubert Sonata in A minor D 821
Dana Protopopescu, pianist accompanist
Jiaxun Yao
Elliott Carter Figment I
Harold Noben Caffeine
Joseph Dall'Abaco Caprice n. 6 in E minor
Igor Stravinsky Suite italienne
Gaspar Cassadó Requiebros
Dana Protopopescu, pianist accompanist
Tuesday 12 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Alexander Wollheim
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Ivan Sendetsky
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Roric Cunningham
Henri Dutilleux Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Harold Noben Caffeine
Francis Poulenc Sonata for cello and piano FP 143
Thomas Hoppe, pianist accompanist
Krzysztof Michalski
Fryderyk Chopin Introduction et Polonaise brillante in C major op. 3
Robert Schumann 5 Stücke im Volkston op. 102
Harold Noben Caffeine
Sarah Zajtmann, pianist accompanist
Tuesday 12 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Ettore Pagano
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Theresa Laun
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Leland Ko
Harold Noben Caffeine
Antonín Dvořák Klid (Silent Woods) op. 68/5 B 173
Dmitry Kabalewsky Sonata in B flat major op. 71
Adria Ye, pianist accompanist
Michael Wehrmeyer
Henri Dutilleux Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Harold Noben Caffeine
Christian Jost Rumor Images
Hans Bottermund János Starker Variations on a theme by Paganini
Dina Ivanova, pianist accompanist
Wednesday 13 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Michael Song
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Simon Tetzlaff
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Marcus Michelin
Harold Noben Caffeine
Zoltan Kodály Sonata in B minor op. 8
Yukie Takai, pianist accompanist
Tae-Yeon Kim
Harold Noben Caffeine
Bohuslav Martinů Sonata n. 2 H 286
Antonín Dvořák Klid (Silent Woods) op. 68/5 B 173
Noreen Polera, pianist accompanist
Wednesday 13 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Clara Dietlin
Michael Haydn Concerto in B flat major
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Dilshod Narzillaev
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Arne Jesper Zeller
Johannes Brahms Sonata n. 2 in F major op. 99
Harold Noben Caffeine
Julius Klengel Scherzo op. 6
Naoko Sonoda, pianist accompanist
Andrew Ilhoon Byun
Claude Debussy Sonata in D minor
Harold Noben Caffeine
Ernest Bloch Méditation hébraïque
Paul Hindemith Sonate op. 25/3
Katsura Mizumoto, pianist accompanist
Thursday 14 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Léo Ispir
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Jiaxun Yao
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Lionel Martin
Harold Noben Caffeine
Franz Schubert Sonata in A minor D 821
Krzysztof Penderecki Capriccio per Siegfried Palm
Anna Naretto, pianist accompanist
Yo Kitamura
Harold Noben Caffeine
Francis Poulenc Sonata for cello and piano FP 143
Julius Klengel Scherzo op. 6
Naoko Sonoda, pianist accompanist
Thursday 14 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Anna Meipariani
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Álvaro Lozano Cames
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Maria Zaitseva
Claude Debussy Sonata in D minor
Harold Noben Caffeine
Alfred Schnittke Sonata n. 1 op. 129
Maria Zaitseva Sr, pianist accompanist
Isaac Lottman
Zoltan Kodály Capriccio per violoncello solo
Harold Noben Caffeine
Francis Poulenc Sonata for cello and piano FP 143
Katsura Mizumoto, pianist accompanist
Friday 15 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Leland Ko
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Michael Wehrmeyer
Michael Haydn Concerto in B flat major
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Ettore Pagano
Harold Noben Caffeine
Alfred Schnittke Sonata n. 1 op. 129
Bohuslav Martinů Variations on a Theme by Rossini H 290
Naoko Sonoda, pianist accompanist
Theresa Laun
César Franck Sonata in A major FWV 8
Harold Noben Caffeine
Dina Ivanova, pianist accompanist
Friday 15 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Roric Cunningham
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Krzysztof Michalski
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Alexander Wollheim
Harold Noben Caffeine
Johannes Brahms Sonata n. 2 in F major op. 99
Mstislav Rostropovich Humoresque op. 5
Dina Ivanova, pianist accompanist
Ivan Sendetsky
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata n. 4 in C major op. 102/1
Harold Noben Caffeine
Antonín Dvořák Klid (Silent Woods) op. 68/5 B 173
György Ligeti Sonata for Solo Cello
Thomas Hoppe, pianist accompanist
Saturday 16 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 15:00
Arne Jesper Zeller
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Andrew Ilhoon Byun
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Clara Dietlin
César Franck Sonata in A major FWV 8
Harold Noben Caffeine
Antoine de Grolée, pianist accompanist
Dilshod Narzillaev
Harold Noben Caffeine
György Ligeti Sonata for Solo Cello
Johannes Brahms Sonata n. 1 in E minor op. 38
Dana Protopopescu, pianist accompanist
Saturday 16 May 2026 - Studio 4 (Flagey) - 20:00
Marcus Michelin
Anton Kraft Concerto in C major op. 4
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Tae-Yeon Kim
Leopold Hofmann Concerto in D major Badley D3
Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Michael Song
Claude Debussy Sonata in D minor
Anton von Webern Drei kleine Stücke op. 11
Harold Noben Caffeine
Mily Balakirev Romance
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pezzo capriccioso op. 62
Katsura Mizumoto, pianist accompanist
Simon Tetzlaff
Harold Noben Caffeine
Witold Lutoslawski Sacher Variation for solo cello
Johannes Brahms Sonata n. 1 in E minor op. 38
Boris Kusnezow, pianist accompanist
