Prizewinners Announced at Finland's International Paulo Cello Competition

Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee was named the overall winner of the competition, and received a cash prize of €20,000

Finland's International Paulo Cello Competition has recently come to a close, following twelve days of intensive music-making from the candidates. Six candidates proceeded to the finals, where they performed two concerti — one from the eighteenth century with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and one from the twentieth century with the Helsinki Philharmonic.

Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee was named the overall winner of the competition. She receives a cash prize of €20,000 and a cello bow made by Risto Vainio. Coetzee is 18 years old and studying with Wolfgang Schmidt at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar.

In second place was the Serbian cellist Petar Pejčić, who received €15,000, while Swiss cellist Samuel Niederhauser came in third and received €12,000. The other players to qualify for the final were Woochan Jeong, Liav Kerbel, and Gaeun Kim, all of whom received a €3,000 prize.

The jury comprised Arto Noras, Richard Aaron, Hyoung Won Chang (who stepped in for an ailing Myung-Wha Chung), Frans Helmerson, Maria Kliegel, Ivan Monighetti, Philippe Muller, Martti Rousi and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi.