The final concert of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 takes place today at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. Six talented performers will compete for a unique trophy, a cash prize and a performance opportunity with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
A total of eighteen performers have competed at the nineteenth edition of the Eurovision contest for young musicians, but only six of them got the chance to perform at today’s final concert. An expert panel selected the finalists based on their performances at the semi-finals, which took place last week.
Today all six finalists will perform for up to 12 minutes accompanied by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Dausgaard. You can find the running order and the pieces they will play below:
- Norway: Birgitta Elisa Oftestad (Cello) – 4th mvt from Cello Concerto by E. Elgar
- Slovenia: Nikola Pajanović (Violin) – 3rd mvt from Violin Concerto by P.I. Tchaikovsky
- Czech Republic: Indi Stivín (Double bass) – 2nd and 3rd mvt from Bohemian Suite for Double Bass by I. Stivín
- Germany: Mira Foron (Violin) – 3rd mvt from Violin Concerto by J. Sibelius
- Hungary: Máté Bencze (Saxophone) – Concerto da Camera for Saxophone by J. Ibert
- Russia: Ivan Bessonov (Piano) – 3rd mvt from Piano Concerto No. 1 by P.I. Tchaikovsky
The Results
The winner will be selected by an expert panel made up of chair cellist and conductor David Watkin, who was a judge in the semifinals, classical composer and conductor Sir James MacMillan, musician and conductor Marin Alsop, composer, producer and performer Anna Meredith and Head of Music for the Edinburgh International Festival, Andrew Moore.
Just like in the semifinals, the experts will watch all six performances and award points out of 10 based on a specific criterion (Technical Accuracy, Quality of Sound, Interpretation and Performance). After the last performance, the experts will retire to deliberate and discuss the results. The winner will be the performer with the most points or the one selected by a unanimous agreement to ensure that over-reliance on numerical scoring does not yield an incorrect winner.
The Prizes
The winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 will be awarded a special trophy, a cash prize of 7.000 euros and a performance opportunity with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Moreover, the runner-up will receive a cash prize of 3.000 euros.
The final of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 will be hosted by Petroc Trelawny and Josie d’Arby live from Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. You will be able to watch the concert at 20.30 CET on YouTube: