Five Young Cello Talents Honored at the 2026 Cello Masterclasses

[Translate to English:]

[Translate to English:]

The Kronberg Academy’s Cello Masterclasses 2026 concluded on 30 September with two final concerts and the presentation of sponsorship awards. A total of 185 young musicians from around 35 countries came to Kronberg. Over the course of six days, they worked with Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Jens Peter Maintz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Ildikó Szabó.

The Cello Masterclasses have been at the heart of Kronberg Academy’s work for many years. They offer young musicians the opportunity to work directly with distinguished artists in lessons – and in front of an audience. At the conclusion of this year’s masterclasses, five young cellists were honoured for particularly impressing the faculty with their talent and artistic potential.

The 2026 Prize Winners

The Landgrave of Hesse Prize, established in 1994, the year of the first Cello Masterclasses, and endowed with a total of €5,000, was awarded in equal shares to:

  • Miles Levine, 20, USA
  • Lyana Ulikhanyan, 15, Armenia

The Frans Helmerson Sponsorship Award, also endowed with €5,000, was presented to:

  • Hun Choi, 25, South Korea
  • Hugo Svedberg, 18, United Kingdom

The Kronberg Cello Masterclasses Sponsorship Award, endowed with €500, went to:

  • Luís Dias Canali, 17, Portugal

The prize-giving ceremony formed part of two final concerts. Selected participants performed together with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, while other prize winners subsequently appeared in recital programmes with piano.

Under the festival motto “Courage!”, the work undertaken during the masterclasses took on an additional significance. Here, courage is demonstrated not only on stage, but also in the willingness to face critical ears, question familiar approaches and continue developing one’s own artistic voice.

Kronberg Academy would like to thank the Deutsche Bank Foundation, whose support made the 2026 Cello Masterclasses possible, as well as the five faculty members, the pianists Yoko Kuwahara, Anna Naretto, Mana Oguchi, Naoko Sonoda and Yumiko Urabe, and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn for accompanying and supporting the young musicians throughout the masterclasses.

Photo: The prize winners of the 2026 Cello Masterclasses together with representatives of Kronberg Academy at the awards ceremony in the Casals Forum. From left to right: Lyana Ulikhanyan, Miles Levine, Hun Choi, Floria Landgravine of Hesse, Raimund Trenkler, Frans Helmerson, Friedemann Eichhorn, Luís Dias Canali and Hugo Svedberg.

All news