The 16th International Cesar Franck Competition took place October 4–8 in St. Bavo’s Cathedral Basilica, Haarlem, the Netherlands, on the Willibrordus organ. The ten candidates from seven different countries were selected for the first preliminary round. Repertoire for the competition consisted exclusively of works by César Franck, honoring the composer’s 200th birthday. The jury consisted of Michel Bouvard (France), Petra Veenswijk (the Netherlands), and Étienne Walhain (Belgium)
Rik Melissant of the Netherlands was the winner with a prize of €2,500. Second prize of €1,500 was presented to Leendert Verduijn, also of the Netherlands; third prize of €1,000 was awarded to Hina Ikawa of Japan. All prize winners have been invited to give a recital on the Willibrordus organ in the next few years.
For information: cesarfranckconcours.nl.
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