London’s Young Classical Artists Trust Announces 2019 1st Prize Winners

The Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), in London, has this week announced seven 2019 1st prize winners

The Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), in London, has this week announced seven 2019 1st prize winners.

All seven young musicians will join the YCAT roster – granting access to management services, career engagements, publicity and career guidance.

The 2019 YCAT 1st prize winners are:

• 25-year-old violinist Mayumi Kanagawa from Japan/United States
• 23-year-old cellist Maciej Kuɫakowski from Poland
• 21-year-old hornist Ben Goldscheider from England
• 18-year-old pianist George Harliono from England
• 26-year-old mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska from Macedonia
• 25-year-old bassoonist Theo Plath from Germany
• 27-year-old accordionist Samuele Telari from Italy

A student of Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Mayumi Kanagawa is a former major prize winner at the Long-Thibaud Crespin and Jascha Heifetz International Violin Competitions and the Princess Astrid Competition.

A student of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy and Marcin Zdunik at the Stanislaw Moniuszko Academy of Music, Maciej Kuɫakowski is a former 1st prize winner at the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition.

The 2019 jury comprised: Gaetan Le Divelec (Director, Askonas Holt), Angela Dixon (Chief Executive, Saffron Hall), Kathryn Enticott (Director, Enticott Music Management), Dominic Fyfe (Senior Executive Producer, Decca Classics), Stephen McHolm (Academy Director, Verbier Festival), Alasdair Tait (Chief Executive & Artistic Director, YCAT) - and Roger Wright CBE (Chief Executive, Snape Maltings).

Previous YCAT alumni include: violist VC Young Artist Timothy Ridout, violinists Benjamin Baker and Jonian-Ilias Kadesha, cellist Li-Wei Qin, trumpeter Alison Balson – and the Belcea, Castalian and Heath String Quartets.