Pre-guessing the jury at the Queen Elisabeth International 2015

Written by Heather Kurzbauer
Published: May 30, 2015 at 10:08 PM [UTC]

As midnight approaches the Bozar crowd moves toward the hall in a frenzy of anticipation as the bell tolls for the jury proclamation. Will a jury of pedagogues peppered with several performers and previous prize winners unite to pick a real winner. And what constitutes a winner? The consummate colorist Stephen Waarts might come across as too intellectual for those who favor a huge sound and projected performance. William Hagen and Lim Ji Young would curry favor and take the top prize if all round projection was the main criterion. Original, eccentric and crowd pleasing, Oleksii Semenenko played his heart out and brought Sibelius to new heights albeit opting for ultra fast vibrato throughout. Within minutes the jury will speak, this humble listener offers the top prizes in the following order