Ettore Pagano Secures 2026 Queen Elisabeth Cello Title

Cellist Ettore Pagano has been named the winner of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition, a result signaling a jury preference for tonal depth over the percussive efficiency of the modern international school. Pagano demonstrated a superior command of sul ponticello (playing near the bridge to produce a brittle, metallic sound) textures in the mandatory contemporary commission while maintaining a resonant core in the Romantic repertoire. The competition, which introduced cello in 2017, remains one of the few to require a new work performed from memory. Pagano’s win places him in the lineage of laureates who balance the soloist career with the Belgian tradition of structural chamber music. His upcoming performances include the Dvořák Cello Concerto, Score on IMSLP, a work whose success depends on the very lyrical transparency the Brussels jury has here rewarded.