Pianist Alexandra Segal (Israel) wins the 1st prize in the Piano Section of the George Enescu International Competition 2022

The most interesting compositions were awarded in the gala that marks the end of a memorable edition of the Competition

Alexandra Segal, representing Israel, won the 2022 George Enescu International Competition, Piano Section, after a Final in which she performed Concerto no. 3 in C major Op. 26 by Sergei Prokofiev. The II and III prizes were awarded to pianists George Todică (Romania) and Chun Lam U (Hong Kong, China). On the evening of September 18, the public also found out the winners of the Composition Section, in the categories of Symphonic Music, Chamber Music and Originality (award awarded for the first time this year). The winners were Shin Kim, with the work “Symphony no. 1 – Consolations”, Leonardo Marino, with the work “Il deserto del senza tempo” and Bartosz Jawor, with the work “Prayers”. The Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation also awarded a prize worth 2,500 Euros, the “Constanța Erbiceanu Prize” to the best-ranked Romanian pianist, which went to pianist George Todică.

Alexandra Segal representing Israel won Sunday evening the First Prize of the Piano Section of the George Enescu International Competition 2022, at the end of a Final in which she performed Concerto no. 3 in C major Op. 26 by Serghei Prokofiev, accompanied by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kensho Watanabe. The II and III prizes were awarded to pianists George Todică (Romania) and Chun Lam U (Hong Kong, China).

The winners of the Composition Section were announced by Polish composer Zygmunt Krauze. The prize in the Symphonic Music category was won by Shin Kim, with “Symphony no. 1 – Consolations”. In the Chamber Music category, the prize went to Leonardo Marino, for the composition “Il deserto del senza tempo”. For the first time awarded this year, the Prize for originality went to Bartosz Jawor with the composition “Prayers”. “We met yesterday here, at the Romanian Athenaeum, to deliberate on who will be awarded these prizes. Fortunately, we are all composers, we had a very nice and harmonious collaboration in imagining together how these compositions would sound, just by looking at them on paper. The result we reached was unanimous” said Zygmunt Krauze at the award ceremony.

The jury of the Piano Section at the 2022 edition of the Enescu Competition was formed by: Nelson Goerner (president), Luiza Borac, Dana Borșan, Philippe Dinkel, Peter Jablonski, Andrea Lucchesini, Andrei Pisarev, Matti Raekallio and Josu de Solaun.

The first prize of the 2022 George Enescu International Competition is worth 15,000 euros, the second prize 10,000 euros, and the third prize 5,000 euros. Also, the winner of the 2022 Enescu Competition has the opportunity to perform in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition, as well as in concerts organized during the Romanian Philharmonic seasons. The 2022 Enescu Competition trophies, given to the three young violinists, are made of glass and bear the signature of the artist Iulia Năstase.

The “Constanța Erbiceanu” prize, awarded to pianist George Todică, the best-ranked Romanian pianist in the George Enescu International Competition 2022, was handed over by Constantin Erbiceanu, President of the Erbiceanu Foundation. “I have the pleasure to announce this award in memory of my aunt, Constanța Erbiceanu, great teacher and soloist, who sang with great European philharmonics”, declared Constantin Erbiceanu.

Alexandra Segal represents Israel and was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1995. She began studying piano at the age of six with Prof. Natalie Tolpygo. She is currently studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz with Prof. Milana Chernyavska. Alexandra Segal has given concerts in Israel, the United States of America, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Latvia, Croatia and Ukraine, some of which have been broadcast live on radio and television. He won 3rd prize at the Medici International Music Competition (2021), 3rd prize at the Chicago International Music Competition (2020), 1st prize at the Piano Forever Competition (2017, Israel), 1st prize at the by Arianne Katcz Piano (2017), 1st prize at the Pnina Salzman Competition for Young Pianists (2017), 3rd prize at the Riga International Piano Competition (2012), 1st prize at the Crimean Spring International Piano Competition (2010) . She has performed as a soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra, the Donetsk Philharmonic Orchestra, the Raanana Symphonette and the Buchmann-Mehta Music School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of such conductors as Vag Papian, Avi Ostrowsky , Yoav Talmi and Guy Feder.

George Todică is from Romania and obtained his Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music in London in 2019 under the guidance of Norma Fisher, after completing his MA at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2017. He made his Wigmore Hall debut in October 2018 , as a Tillett Trust Young Artist. Awarded 1st prize at Royal Over-Seas League Keyboard Prize (2022), Norah Sande Award in England, Stefano Marizza Piano Competition in Italy, Moray Piano Competition, Scotland, Llangollen International Festival; 2nd prize at the International Piano Campus Competition in France and 3rd prize at the Istanbul International Piano Competition. In the field of chamber music, George frequently collaborates with soprano Charlotte Hoather, with whom he has recorded 4 albums, and is part of the Chloé Piano Trio, together with violinist Maria Gîlicel and cellist Jobine Siekman. George Todică made his debut with the orchestra at the age of 14, with the Moldova Philharmonic from Iasi and performed as a soloist with the New Edinburgh Orchestra, the Istanbul Orchestra’Sion, the Cambridge Graduate Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Scotland, the Orchestra of Cergy-Pontoise, Paris, the Learig Orchestra and Stewart’s Melville College Orchestra.

Chun Lam U is from Hong Kong (China), and was born in 2002. He is currently studying at Oberlin Conservatory with Prof. Dang Thai Son. He started studying piano at the age of 5 at the GMC Academy of Music in Hong Kong (China) with Prof. Rizzo Chung. His achievements include prizes at the Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition in China, the Chopin International Piano Competition in Asia, the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians, the Hanoi International Piano Competition, the Van Cliburn Piano Competition Junior and the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists. Chun Lam has collaborated with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong (China) Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductors Lavard Skou-Larsen and David Gómez Ramírez. He participated in masterclasses given by renowned pianists and teachers, such as Maria João Pires, Tamás Ungár, William Grant Naboré, Lee Kum-Sing, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Angela Cheng or Reiko Kikuchi.

The 18th edition of the George Enescu International Competition took place in Bucharest between September 4 and 18. This year, the Enescu Competition marked the return to the theater, after two years in which cultural events had to reinvent themselves and move partially or totally online. The message that the Enescu Competition sends this year is that of regaining hope: Music of hope | Music of Hope. At the online stage of the Competition, more than 100 young musicians from all over the world entered for the interpretive sections, to which 22 chamber and orchestral works were added in the Composition Section.

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