Auditions for the 2018 YBT final prove a tough call for the judges!
Last Saturday, 16 musicians took part in the last auditions before our final in Flagey on the 15th. of December. With only five places up for grabs, competition was always going to be tough. The standard was so high that all 16, in previous years, could have easily gone through. This made it extremely tough for the judges. Apart from the quality of playing itself, the judges looked for that certain spark, that something special that separated one from another. However, at the end of the day, the voting turned out to be very consistent and five winners were chosen.
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Balder Dendievel, Oboe. |
Balder comes from West-Vlanderen and studies under Luk Nielandt at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. At just 16, he is the youngest of our five finalists. His oboe playing was mature, way beyond his years. But as much as this, his stage presence was superb, and the integrity of his interview was very compelling. Apart from being a great oboe player, he apparently also plays the organ and percussion as well! |
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Felix Vermeirsch, Cello. |
Felix is 19, comes from West-Vlaanderen and studies under Istvan Vardai – France Springuel at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany. Felix kicked off our audition sessions and set the standard for the rest of the day. Great playing, imaginative tuning and dynamic presence, there could be no doubt that Felix was going through. |
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Georges-Lucas Ilouridze, Clarinet. |
Georges-Lucas 17, comes from Namur and studies under Marie-Hélène Adnet, at the Conservatoire Balthasar-Florence de Namur. He had something very special, his style of playing, depth of interpretation and tonal colour pallet was mesmerizing. His obvious passion for music and the life of a musician, came across in a relaxed and natural style during his interview. |
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Hanne Beyens, Clarinet. |
Hanne 19, comes from Vlaams-Brabant and studies at the LUCA School of Arts – Campus Lemmensinstituut Leuven under Roeland Hendrix. Hanna held everyone’s attention from her first to last note. There was a chemistry in her playing and her relaxed, conversational manner won the judges hearts and minds. We look forward to seeing her on the big stage of Studio 4! |
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Sarah Bayens, Violin. |
Sarah, 18, comes from Antwerp and studies under Shirly Laub at The Royal Conservatory, Brussels. Sarah wowed us all with her beautiful phrasing and intonation. Sarah has all the ingredients to go on and do really well, not only in this competition but also as a soloist one day. |
But which of these five wonderful musicians will win the Final? Come and find out for yourself! If you become a member of YBT (just 30EUR per year) you will receive a 50% discount coupon for all tickets sold via the Flagey website, not just for you but for your friends as well.