Japanese cellist Kitamura wins 5th prize in Brussels contest

Brussels – Yo Kitamura of Japan won the fifth prize in the cello division of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels on Sunday. In the final selection process joined by 12 cellists, Kitamura, 22, who is from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, played Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto and other works with the Belgian National Orchestra on Tuesday. “I couldn’t make it to the top three, but I think it is a meaningful experience because I was able to grow so much,” Kitamura told reporters. “I want to face my big dream of making the world peaceful with music.” The winner of the cello division is Ettore Pagano, 23, from Italy. Kitamura studied at Japan’s Toho Gakuen School of Music and the Berlin University of the Arts, and won the first prize in the Pablo Casals International Award in Spain in 2024. He received the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award in Japan in 2025. Among Japanese cellists, Yuya Okamoto, 31, won the second prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2017.