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JURY
MEMBERS
President of the Jury - Xenia Janković
Serbia, Russia
Xenia Janković comes from a family of Serbian and Russian musicians. She chose the cello at an early age and made her debut with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra at just nine years old. A state scholarship allowed her to study at the Central School of the Moscow Conservatory with Stefan Kalianov and Mstislav Rostropovich. She later studied with Pierre Fournier and Guy Fallot in Geneva, and with André Navarra in Detmold. Intensive work with Sandor Végh and György Sebök further deepened her musical ideas and artistic vision.
Xenia Janković gained international recognition after winning the First Grand Prize at the prestigious “Gaspar Cassado” competition in Florence. Her solo performances with the London and Budapest Philharmonics, radio orchestras in Madrid, Berlin, and Copenhagen, as well as recitals in Paris, London, Berlin, and Moscow—along with regular invitations to festivals such as Lockenhaus and Ernen—have earned her unanimous acclaim from audiences and critics alike. She has performed chamber music with artists including András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Isabelle Faust, and Bruno Giuranna.
Since 2004, she has been a professor of cello at the Musikhochschule Detmold and is regularly invited worldwide to give masterclasses. Xenia Janković plays a remarkable 1733 Gregorio Antoniazzi cello (Domenico Montagnana workshop).
Xenia Janković comes from a family of Serbian and Russian musicians. She chose the cello at an early age and made her debut with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra at just nine years old. A state scholarship allowed her to study at the Central School of the Moscow Conservatory with Stefan Kalianov and Mstislav Rostropovich. She later studied with Pierre Fournier and Guy Fallot in Geneva, and with André Navarra in Detmold. Intensive work with Sandor Végh and György Sebök further deepened her musical ideas and artistic vision.
Xenia Janković gained international recognition after winning the First Grand Prize at the prestigious “Gaspar Cassado” competition in Florence. Her solo performances with the London and Budapest Philharmonics, radio orchestras in Madrid, Berlin, and Copenhagen, as well as recitals in Paris, London, Berlin, and Moscow—along with regular invitations to festivals such as Lockenhaus and Ernen—have earned her unanimous acclaim from audiences and critics alike. She has performed chamber music with artists including András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Isabelle Faust, and Bruno Giuranna.
Since 2004, she has been a professor of cello at the Musikhochschule Detmold and is regularly invited worldwide to give masterclasses. Xenia Janković plays a remarkable 1733 Gregorio Antoniazzi cello (Domenico Montagnana workshop).
René Benedetti
France
René Benedetti, winner of first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the classes of André Navarra and Jean Hubeau, distinguished himself early on through his exceptional talent. He inaugurated, with the Quatuor Via Nova, the Conservatoire’s third cycle under the guidance of the Amadéus Quartet.
As principal soloist at the Paris Opera and with the Concerts Colonne, he simultaneously pursued a career as a pedagogue and chamber musician with the Via Nova and Parrenin quartets.
He later founded the Quatuor Olivier Messiaen, which he recorded under the composer’s own direction, and accompanied Messiaen on a tour of Australia and Europe for the composer’s 80th birthday.
During a tour in Morocco, he met Farid Bensaïd and contributed to the creation of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Moroccan as well as the International Schools of Music and Dance in Casablanca and Rabat.
René Benedetti, winner of first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the classes of André Navarra and Jean Hubeau, distinguished himself early on through his exceptional talent. He inaugurated, with the Quatuor Via Nova, the Conservatoire’s third cycle under the guidance of the Amadéus Quartet.
As principal soloist at the Paris Opera and with the Concerts Colonne, he simultaneously pursued a career as a pedagogue and chamber musician with the Via Nova and Parrenin quartets.
He later founded the Quatuor Olivier Messiaen, which he recorded under the composer’s own direction, and accompanied Messiaen on a tour of Australia and Europe for the composer’s 80th birthday.
During a tour in Morocco, he met Farid Bensaïd and contributed to the creation of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Moroccan as well as the International Schools of Music and Dance in Casablanca and Rabat.
Ahmed Essyad
Morocco
Ahmed Essyad is a Moroccan composer born in Salé. He met the French composer Max Deutsch at the Centre Français d’Humanisme Musical in Aix-en-Provence and studied under his guidance for thirty years. He began his studies at the Conservatoire of Rabat before moving to France in 1962 to continue his training with Max Deutsch.
He is the author of several operas, including L’Eau for Radio France, and serves on the musical advisory board of the Prince Pierre Foundation of Monaco for contemporary music. His compositions include Sultanes, Une suite électroacoustique (1973), Identité, Cantate (1975), Le Collier des ruses (1977), L’Eau (opera, 1982), Le Cycle de l’Eau for flute and piano, L’Exercice de l’Amour, Opéra lumière (1995), and Mririda (opera, 2016, premiered at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg).
He has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work, including the Grand Prix National de la Musique in 1994. He is regarded as one of the most talented and respected composers of his generation in Morocco.
Ahmed Essyad is a Moroccan composer born in Salé. He met the French composer Max Deutsch at the Centre Français d’Humanisme Musical in Aix-en-Provence and studied under his guidance for thirty years. He began his studies at the Conservatoire of Rabat before moving to France in 1962 to continue his training with Max Deutsch.
He is the author of several operas, including L’Eau for Radio France, and serves on the musical advisory board of the Prince Pierre Foundation of Monaco for contemporary music. His compositions include Sultanes, Une suite électroacoustique (1973), Identité, Cantate (1975), Le Collier des ruses (1977), L’Eau (opera, 1982), Le Cycle de l’Eau for flute and piano, L’Exercice de l’Amour, Opéra lumière (1995), and Mririda (opera, 2016, premiered at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg).
He has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work, including the Grand Prix National de la Musique in 1994. He is regarded as one of the most talented and respected composers of his generation in Morocco.
Justus Grimm
Germany
Justus Grimm began playing the cello at the age of five, initially with his father, and later with Ulrich Voss, Claus Kanngiesser, and Frans Helmerson in Stockholm and Cologne. He has won numerous competitions, notably taking first prize at the Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and the German Music Council Award.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in major European venues, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Elbphilharmonie, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Athénée in Bucharest, with orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie, and the London Chamber Orchestra. His solo career began in 1993 with the premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s cello concerto La Metamorfosi di Narciso.
Active in chamber music, he collaborates with artists such as Abdel Raman El Bacha, Gérard Caussé, Augustin Dumay, and Stephen Kovacevich, and participates in numerous international festivals. His recordings include works by Philippe Gaubert, George Enescu, and César Franck, several of which have received critical acclaim.
Since 2008, he has been a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and has served as its artistic director since 2013. He also teaches at international festivals. Justus Grimm plays a 1760 P.A. Testore cello.
Justus Grimm began playing the cello at the age of five, initially with his father, and later with Ulrich Voss, Claus Kanngiesser, and Frans Helmerson in Stockholm and Cologne. He has won numerous competitions, notably taking first prize at the Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and the German Music Council Award.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in major European venues, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Elbphilharmonie, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Athénée in Bucharest, with orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie, and the London Chamber Orchestra. His solo career began in 1993 with the premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s cello concerto La Metamorfosi di Narciso.
Active in chamber music, he collaborates with artists such as Abdel Raman El Bacha, Gérard Caussé, Augustin Dumay, and Stephen Kovacevich, and participates in numerous international festivals. His recordings include works by Philippe Gaubert, George Enescu, and César Franck, several of which have received critical acclaim.
Since 2008, he has been a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and has served as its artistic director since 2013. He also teaches at international festivals. Justus Grimm plays a 1760 P.A. Testore cello.
Marie Hallynck
Belgium
A distinguished soloist, chamber musician, and passionate teacher, Marie Hallynck is one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has performed in prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as across Asia.
Selected as a Rising Star by the European Concert Hall Organisation, she has appeared as a soloist with around fifty orchestras, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Her discography includes concertos recorded with the Belgian National Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as several contemporary world premieres.
Deeply committed to chamber music, she founded the ensemble Kheops and regularly performs in duo with pianist Muhiddin Dürrüoglu and with her sister, harpist Sophie Hallynck.
Trained by leading masters in Europe and the United States, she has won multiple international competitions and was named “Soloist of the Year” in Belgium in 2002. Alongside her performing career, she teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and regularly serves on juries for major international competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
A distinguished soloist, chamber musician, and passionate teacher, Marie Hallynck is one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has performed in prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as across Asia.
Selected as a Rising Star by the European Concert Hall Organisation, she has appeared as a soloist with around fifty orchestras, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Her discography includes concertos recorded with the Belgian National Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as several contemporary world premieres.
Deeply committed to chamber music, she founded the ensemble Kheops and regularly performs in duo with pianist Muhiddin Dürrüoglu and with her sister, harpist Sophie Hallynck.
Trained by leading masters in Europe and the United States, she has won multiple international competitions and was named “Soloist of the Year” in Belgium in 2002. Alongside her performing career, she teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and regularly serves on juries for major international competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
Yovan Markovitch
France
Yovan Markovitch began studying the cello at the École Nationale de Musique in Chalon-sur-Saône with Alain Courmont and continued his studies at the Conservatoire National de Région in Boulogne-Billancourt with Annie Cochet. He earned his first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and later pursued advanced studies at Yale University (USA) with Aldo Parisot.
Passionate about the string quartet, he is a founding member of the Castagneri Quartet, with which he performed for ten years. The quartet studied with members of the Amadeus, LaSalle, Berg, Hagen, Tokyo, and Cleveland Quartets.
In 2005, he joined the Ysaye Quartet, embarking on a significant international career. After the Ysaye Quartet concluded its activities, he became the cellist of the Danel Quartet in 2014. Yovan Markovitch is currently a professor of chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Lyon.
Yovan Markovitch plays a 1739 Petrus Guarnerius cello (Venice).
Yovan Markovitch began studying the cello at the École Nationale de Musique in Chalon-sur-Saône with Alain Courmont and continued his studies at the Conservatoire National de Région in Boulogne-Billancourt with Annie Cochet. He earned his first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and later pursued advanced studies at Yale University (USA) with Aldo Parisot.
Passionate about the string quartet, he is a founding member of the Castagneri Quartet, with which he performed for ten years. The quartet studied with members of the Amadeus, LaSalle, Berg, Hagen, Tokyo, and Cleveland Quartets.
In 2005, he joined the Ysaye Quartet, embarking on a significant international career. After the Ysaye Quartet concluded its activities, he became the cellist of the Danel Quartet in 2014. Yovan Markovitch is currently a professor of chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Lyon.
Yovan Markovitch plays a 1739 Petrus Guarnerius cello (Venice).
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