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4 unusual facts about Queen Elisabeth Music Competition


National Orchestra of Belgium

In 2003, contestants in the final round of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition were accompanied by the orchestra, under the direction of Gilbert Varga.

Nicolas Chumachenco

Nicolas left Argentina to study in the United States at the University of Southern California with Jascha Heifetz and later at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Efrem Zimbalist and won awards at the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition.

Olga Pasichnyk

She has won prizes at the International Vocal Competition ´s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands, 1994), the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki (Finland, 1999) and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (2000) as well as awards in Poland for her work at the Warsaw Opera, including the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2012).

Vladimir Horbowski

Horbowskis served several times on the jury of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels, one of the world's most important music competitions.


Elisabeth Leonskaja

During her conservatory years she won prizes in the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud and Queen Elizabeth international piano competitions in Bucharest, Paris and Brussels.

Johan Schmidt

He won the Maria Callas Competition in Athens, and was prized at the Queen Elisabeth (1987, 4th prize plus Audience prize), Tchaikovsky (1990, 3rd prize - ex-aequo with Kevin Kenner and Anton Mordasov) and Van Cliburn (1993, 4th prize) competitions.

Lee Kum-Sing

Lee sits on the jury of international competitions, including Chopin (Warsaw, Poland), Queen Elisabeth (Brussels, Belgium), China (Beijing), Rachmaninov (Moscow), Gina Bachauer (Salt Lake City) and Dublin.

Piet Van Waeyenberge

He is or has been chairman of cultural causes like Maison de la Radio Flagey s.a. and Flagey asbl, and board member of Quartier des Arts asbl, the International Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, of Europalia International vzw, the Vlaamse Academische Stichting vzw, and of the Francqui Foundation (Public Benefit Foundation).


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