The final audition of the Pablo Casals International Award 2022 took place last Friday November 18th 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 Henri Demarquette, Marie Hallynck, Asier Polo and Peter Thiemann. Bernard Meillat, musical advisor of the Foundation, acted as secretary of the jury.
Acclaimed by the Fanfare Magazine as “tonally, technically, and musically superb”, Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee (b. 2004) made her solo debut at age eleven with the Calgary Civic Symphony. Most recently in September 2022 she received the Frans Helmerson Promotional Award at the Kronberg Academy as well as performed as soloist with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. In October 2022 she received second prize as well as the special prize of the jury at the 8th Dotzauer International Competition for Young Cellists. In the same month, Luka performed with the National Philharmonic Orchestra as a winner of the 9th Johansen International Strings Competition in Washington, DC. As a member of the LGT Young Soloists, Luka recorded and premiered a new arrangement of the Beethoven A major Cello Sonata on NAXOS at the Teldex Studio in Berlin. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in cello performance at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.