Prizewinners Announced at the Markneukirchen Competition

Portuguese bassist José Trigo and Czech cellist Vilem Vlcek were crowned this year's winners

The 58th Markneukirchen Competition, which is held annually with instrument categories alternating each year, has recently come to a close. This year's categories included bass and cell.

Three double bassists advanced to the final, where they performed Bottesini's First Double Bass Concerto alongside the Clara-Schumann Philharmonic and conductor Leo Siberski. The finalists had been selected following the third round, where seven players were whittled down to three.

First Prize went to the 25-year-old Portuguese bassist José Trigo. Trigo studied with Petru Iuga at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, during which time he gained orchestral experience as a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

Trigo has been an academist with the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. In 2019, he won a full-time position with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and received his master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik Nuremberg, where he studied with Dorin Marc, in 2022.

Trigo receives a cash prize of €7,000, which is sponsored by the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. He will also perform as a soloist with the Chursächsische Philharmonie of Bad Elster.

26-year-old Hong Yiu Thomas Lai received Second Prize of €5,000, while Third Prize of €3,500 went to the 24-year-old German bassist Moritz Tunn.

In the cello category, Czech cellist Vilem Vlcek took home first prize of €7,000 in addition to a future concerto engagement. He competed as one of four finalists who performed the Haydn Cello Concerto no.2 in D major with Clara-Schumann Philharmonic.

Second prize went to Gustaw Bafeltowski, Third Prize to Tzu-Shao Chao, and Grace Sohn received Fourth Prize.

Vilem Vlcek received his first cello lessons at the age of 6 from Martin Skampa. Since 2018, he has been studying at the Basel Music Academy in the class of Danjulo Ishizaka. He has played in master classes with Frans Helmerson, Steven Isserlis, Richard Aaron, Marek Jerie, Alisa Weilerstein, Michal Kanka, Denis Severin, and Jakob Koranyi, among others.

A former prize winner at the Cello Competition in Liezen, Talents for Europe, Heran Cello Competition, Competition of the Czech Conservatory, Concertino Praga, and the Jan Vychytil Cello Competition, Vlcek has been a member of LGT Young Soloists since 2016.

As a soloist, the young cellist has already performed with numerous renowned orchestras – including the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, Nordtschechische Philharmonie, Zielona Gora Philharmonic Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra and Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen.