Eleven students from our school won prizes in the chamber music and piano solo categories at the Swiss Youth Music Competition Entrada 2025, which took place last week in various cities across the country. Nine of them took first prizes, including seven with distinction.
Two school duets and a trio delivered outstanding performances in the chamber music category at the competition, earning first prizes with distinction for their flawless interpretations.
Their performances received the highest praise from the jury, securing them the competition’s top honor.
Our young pianists also delivered strong performances in the piano solo category, earning two first prizes (including one with distinction) and two third prizes.
According to the jury, the most impressive performance came from Ellie Jasmine Bauwens (8 years old), a talented young pianist who only began studying at the Zakhar Bron School of Music this academic year. She performed renowned works from the classical repertoire, including Bach’s French Suite No. 6 in E major (Allemande), Rachmaninoff’s Étude in G minor, Op. 33 No. 8, and Prokofiev’s Étude, Op. 52 No. 3. Her outstanding performance earned her a first prize with distinction.
Another exceptional performance came from Maksut Mukhitdin (8 years old), a young but already experienced pianist. He performed Mozart’s Sonata in C major, Chopin’s Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24, and Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk, earning him an honorable first prize.
Young pianists Samuel Bernadris (13) and Maya Nikolic (8) also achieved success, each receiving a third prize.
The success of our students at the Swiss Youth Music Competition Entrada 2025 was the result of months of dedicated preparation. Under the guidance of their teachers at the Zakhar Bron School of Music, they refined their technique, deepened their musical interpretation, and built confidence on stage.
Preparation was particularly intensive for the ensembles, as multiple teachers worked closely with each group. Trio Espressivo was mentored by Inna Khriplovich (violin teacher), Rafael Lipstein (lead piano teacher), and Payam Taghadossi (cello teacher). The duets were trained by Liana Tretiakova, the school’s founder and lead violin teacher, along with Rafael Lipstein.
Our students competing in the piano solo category were prepared by their teachers: Rafael Lipstein (Ellie, Maksut, and Samuel) and Tatyana Samoylova (Maya).
We sincerely thank our wonderful teachers for their dedication, patience, and inspiring guidance in preparing the prize-winners for this competition. Their success at the Swiss Youth Music Competition Entrada 2025 is the result of the dedicated collaboration between teachers and students. Along with our gratitude, we also warmly congratulate our teachers on these remarkable achievements!
The Swiss Youth Music Competition was founded in 1975 at the initiative of Gerhard Albrecht, who was then the chief conductor of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. Since its inception, it has become a major event in Swiss classical music education and has helped many young musicians gain recognition and further their careers.
Participants compete in different age groups and various categories, such as piano, strings, wind instruments, voice, and chamber music. The competition takes place in two stages:
All first prize winners of Entrada qualify for the Final Round and will compete at the contest finale in May in Zurich, where the best of the best will be selected.
Tags: Demid Ivanov-Ryzov, Ellie Bauwens, Felipe Hauser, Inna Khriplovich, Katya Gringolts, Liana Tretiakova, Maksut Mukhitdin, Maya Nikolic, Nina Gringolts, Payam Taghadossi, Rafael Lipstein, Samuel Bernadris, SYMC, SYMC-2025, Tatiana Samoylova, Tatjana Filimonova, Theofania Archontopoulou, Viktoria Jung, With Video
Categories: Music Competition Awards, SYMC
