International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition Names 2025 Winners

Cellists in four age categories have won over €28,000 in cash prizes and performance opportunities 

Held in Lithuania’s Klaipėda Concert Hall, the biennial International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition is open to professional musicians and cello students of all nationalities aged 30 and under. 

The 2025 winners in each age group are:

Junior category

Group A | up to age 10:

• 1st (€400) : Hannah Elisabeth Cao (Denmark)
• 2nd (€300): Misheel Battuvshin (Mongolia)
• 3rd (€200): Hanzhang Xin (China); Mingyu Wang (China)
• Diploma: Sofija Narutavičiūtė (Lithuania); Sibilė Rukštelytė (Lithuania)

Group B | up to age 14:

• 1st (€400): Franz Ludvig Serafin Kraggerud (Norway)
• 2nd (€300): Tiago Suma (Romania); Alicia Arriaza (Spain)
• 3rd (€200): Tristan Ilves (Estonia); Ray-Chinh Le (UK); Aleksandra Maria Tralla (Estonia)
• Diploma: Emilio Aguirre (Colombia); Soyoon Jee (South Korea); Dylan Scuffham (Estonia); Ewa Kosmęda (Poland); Antoni Wilkanowski (Poland); Aleksandra Libenzon (Bulgaria); Regina Kuzmicova (Latvia); Rebeka Kuzmicova (Latvia); David Sailer (Switzerland); Jonas Narutavičius (Lithuania)

Group C | up to age 18:

• 1st (€1,000) + Diploma for Best Performance of Compulsory Work by Kasparas Šerpytis: Chenaux Lyam Kaléo Gabriel (Switzerland)
• 2nd (€700): Yael Ben Zaken (Israel)
• 3rd (€500): Sin Jo Yap (Malaysia)
• Diploma: Maria Martin (Estonia)
• Association Art Without Borders Scholarship: Yael Ben Zaken (Israel); Maria Martin (Estonia)

Professional category

Group D | up to age 30:

• 1st (€8,000) + Best Performance of Compulsory Work by Faustas Latėnas + performance and recording session at the Villa Casals in Spain: Liav Kerbel (Israel/Belgium) 
• 2nd (€4,000): Minje Song (South Korea); Artyom Ioanisyan (Armenia)
• David Geringas Masterclasses at the Blackmore International Music Academy in Berlin: Augustas Gocentas (Lithuania)

Chaired by Ramutė Kalnėnaitė, the 2025 junior category jury comprised Ivan Karizna, Krzysztof Karpeta, Marcel Johannes Kits, Denis Severin, Shirley Smart, and Razvan Suma. 

The professional category jury was chaired by David Geringas and included Rimantas Armonas, Andrzej Bauer, Enrico Bronzi, Michaela Fukačová, Jens Peter Maintz, and Jing Zhao.