The final audition of the Pablo Casals International Award 2024 took place last Saturday November 16th in the auditorium of the Tívoli of the Escola Municipal de Música Pau Casals del Vendrell (EMMPAC). The jury was made up of internationally renowned cellists Ophélie Gaillard, Danjulo Ishizaka, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Arnau Tomàs. Bernard Meillat, musical advisor of the Foundation, acted as secretary of the jury.
Klaudio Zoto (Albania, 2003) started playing cello at a very young age. His education includes taking masterclasses with Antonio Meneses at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy. He also studied with Meneses at the Accademia Walter Stauffer in Cremona and is currently studying at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf under Prof. Gregor Horsch.
He also joined masterclasses by Gautier Capuçon, Jens-Peter Maintz, David Geringas and Anssi Karttunen.
At age fifteen he performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the National Opera Orchestra of Albania and he was the youngest participant at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2022, being eighteen.
Some of his major awards include Third Prize at the Sieghardt-Rometsch-Wettbewerb, Audience Award at the „Debüt um 11“ at Ruhrfestspielhaus Recklinghausen and the Live-Music-Now-Rhein-Ruhr Scholarship.