The Cello Masterclasses are at the heart of Kronberg Academy’s work. Every two years, young cellists from all over the world come to Kronberg – once described by Mstislav Rostropovich as the “world capital of the cello” – to learn directly from some of the great artists of our time. In public lessons, audiences can witness at close quarters how interpretation develops: through concentrated work, exchange, experimentation and the passing on of artistic experience from one generation to the next.
This continuity was particularly visible in 2026. Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman have been closely associated with Kronberg Academy and its Cello Masterclasses since almost their beginnings; Jens Peter Maintz and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt have likewise shaped the Academy’s work with young cellists for many years. Ildikó Szabó, meanwhile, returned to Kronberg this year as a teacher after having participated in the Cello Masterclasses five times herself and later studying at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. What once began for her as a young participant has now become the responsibility of inspiring the next generation.
The Masterclasses traditionally conclude with the awarding of sponsorship prizes to participants who have particularly impressed the faculty with their talent and artistic potential.
The 2026 Prizewinners
Landgrave of Hesse Prize
Established in 1994, the year of the first Cello Masterclasses, by Margaret, Princess of Hesse and by Rhine. Endowed with €5,000, the prize supports particularly promising young cello talents and was shared equally this year between:
Miles Levine, 20 (USA)
Lyana Ulikhanyan, 15 (Armenia)
Frans Helmerson Sponsorship Prize
The prize honours Frans Helmerson’s extraordinary lifetime achievement as a teacher and his formative influence on generations of young cellists. Endowed with €5,000 and financed by Hanna Lange, it was shared equally between:
Hun Choi, 25 (South Korea)
Hugo Svedberg, 18 (United Kingdom)
Sponsorship Prize of the Kronberg Cello Masterclasses
This additional award, endowed with €500, recognises and encourages another particularly promising participant:
Luís Dias Canali, 17 (Portugal)
The prizewinners presented themselves to the audience in two different concert formats. Selected participants appeared with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn in the orchestral prizewinners’ concert, while others performed recital programmes with the pianists of the Cello Masterclasses later that evening. The choice of repertoire determined which young musicians appeared in each of the two concerts.
The closing concerts brought to the stage what lies at the core of the Masterclasses: not simply the pursuit of technical perfection, but the development of individual artistic voices. During a few concentrated days, young musicians encounter major artistic personalities directly, test their own ideas and learn to remain open to new perspectives.
At this year’s Kronberg Festival, held under the motto “Courage!”, this process took on an additional dimension. Courage is also required to expose one’s playing to critical ears, to question familiar solutions and to reveal something of oneself through music. In congratulating the five prizewinners, Kronberg Academy also thanked all participants for precisely this curiosity, openness and courage.
Kronberg Academy warmly thanks the Deutsche Bank Foundation, whose support made the Cello Masterclasses possible, as well as the five faculty members and the pianists Yoko Kuwahara, Anna Naretto, Mana Oguchi, Naoko Sonoda and Yumiko Urabe. Special thanks also go to the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn for once again accompanying the young musicians with exceptional flexibility and sensitivity.
The next Cello Masterclasses will take place during the Kronberg Festival 2028.
About Kronberg Academy
Kronberg Academy is one of the world’s leading institutions for the education and development of exceptionally gifted young violinists, violists, cellists and pianists. Located in the heart of Europe, it brings together some of the most talented young musicians worldwide with the great artists of our time.
At the core of its work is the direct transmission of artistic experience from one generation to the next. In its study programmes, masterclasses and concerts, young soloists work closely with internationally renowned artists and teachers. The Academy’s concerts – particularly during the annual Kronberg Festival – regularly offer them the opportunity to perform alongside their mentors, while audiences can experience this unique process at close quarters.
Kronberg Academy’s mission is guided by the humanistic credo of the great cellist Pablo Casals: that art, humanity and respect for nature are inseparably connected. Its architectural home is the Casals Forum, Europe’s first concert hall with an integrated study centre that can be operated in a CO₂-neutral way.
Press Contact
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Beethovenplatz 1
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Tel. +49 (0) 6173 78 33 78
www.kronbergacademy.de
Sacha Knoche
Press & Public Relations
Tel. +49 (0) 6173 78 33 64
s.knoche(at)kronbergacademy.de