Ettore Pagano triumphs in Brussels, winning the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition

The 23-year-old Roman cellist Ettore Pagano, a student of Prof. Jens Peter Maintz, is the first Italian to have won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, which looks back on a 75-year history and was dedicated to the cello in 2026. His outstanding interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125, and the contemporary work ‘Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers’ by Fang Man was met with a standing ovation in the presence of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium during the final at the Centre for Fine Arts BOZAR in Brussels. 

In addition to the Queen Mathilde Prize, worth 25,000 euros, Ettore Pagano will receive the 1710 Goffriller “Casals” cello on loan from the Pau Casals Foundation for a period of four years. 

The QUEEN ELISABETH CELLO COMPETITION 2026 was a special edition marked by three significant anniversaries: the 150th anniversary of Queen Elisabeth’s birth, the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and the 150th anniversary of the great cellist Pablo Casals’ birth.
The competition was followed by numerous performances by Ettore Pagano in Belgium and on the international stage.

At just 22 years of age, Ettore Pagano won the prestigious 2025 Premio Abbiati as ‘Best Soloist’, awarded by Italian music critics, as well as the esteemed ICMA Classical Award, the ‘Una vita nella Musica – Giovani’ prize from the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and the STARS OF TOMORROW award from the Brucknerhaus Linz. Ettore Pagano began studying the cello in Rome at the age of nine. He trained under the guidance of Antonio Meneses and David Geringas at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and the Accademia W. Stauffer in Cremona, and completed his studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome with top marks, honours and a commendation. He is currently furthering his studies with Jens Peter Maintz at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Since 2013, he has been awarded first prize in over 40 national and international competitions. At the age of just 14, he received a concert prize from the New York International Artists Association at the renowned Carnegie Hall; in 2019, he won first prize at the ‘Giovani musicisti’ competition organised by the Filarmonica della Scala; in 2020 he won first prize at the “J. Brahms” Competition in Pörtschach with the highest score ever achieved;  he was the youngest finalist in the “Janigro” Competition in Zagreb, won “A. Kull Cello Competition” in Graz, second prize, the audience prize and the prize for the best sonata at the 2024 Enescu International Competition, as well as first prize at the 18th Khachaturian International Competition in 2022.

Ettore Pagano was awarded the title of “Cavaliere della Repubblica” by President Sergio Mattarella in recognition of his artistic achievements.

Yo Kitamura, who also studied under Jens Peter Maintz, was awarded 5th prize at the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition.

Yo Kitamura was born in Japan in 2004. In 2023, he won first prize and the special prize at the 29th International Johannes Brahms Competition, as well as first prize and five special prizes at the 92nd Japan Music Competition, the most prestigious competition in Japan. In 2022, he won second prize at the International Khachaturian Competition and, in 2017, was unanimously awarded first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. In 2024, Yo Kitamura won first prize at the International George Enescu Competition.

He studied with Prof. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi at Toho Gakuen College of Music and is currently a student of Prof. Jens-Peter Maintz at the Berlin University of the Arts. He has taken part in masterclasses with Wolfgang Boettcher, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Philippe Muller, Mischa Maisky, Mario Brunello and Kangho Lee. In 2018 and 2022, he attended masterclasses at the Kronberg Academy with Jens-Peter Maintz and, in 2019, at the Cello Academy Rutesheim with Claudio Borques.

He made his orchestral debut at the age of 9 and his recital debut at the age of 10. He made his debut as a soloist at Suntory Hall at the age of 11, performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. He has performed with numerous professional orchestras and collaborated with conductors including Kenichiro Kobayashi, Ken Takaseki, Naoto Otomo, Sachio Fujioka, Kazuki Yamada, Andrei Feher, Alfredo Sorichetti and many others.

In 2020, he received rave reviews when he stood in for Julian Steckel in a concert conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. He is a scholarship holder of the 52nd Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation and the ROHM Music Foundation.

He plays a 1668 ‘Casini’ cello, on loan from Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry, Ltd.