Göteborgs Konserthus Polstjärnepriset competition’s final

Event has already taken place

After three selections, four young musicians aged 14-18 are voted to an exciting final in the prestigious Polstjärnepriset. An evening where some of the country’s most outstanding young soloists play with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

The competition started with 22 participants who had to present their entries in front of the jury. Eight musicians were selected to go on to the semi-finals on Wednesday 3 January and of these four musicians were selected to the finals in Gothenburg Concert Hall: Maya Broman Crawford-Phillips (violin, Enskede), Philip Engström (cello, Gothenburg), Hugo Svedberg (cello, Bournemouth, UK) and Elias Xie (piano, Umeå).

In the final, the four young musicians will perform their competition pieces together with Gothenburg Symphony. The audience is also treated to two movements of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition with the Gothenburg Symphony and the Polstjärneprisets Symphony Orchestra. Conductors are Christian Øland and Andreas Patrik Hansson, and presenter Jenny Svensson.

The musician who is the winner on Friday will represent Sweden in Eurovision Young Musicians, Europe’s biggest competition for young classical musicians, which is seen by millions of TV viewers across Europe.

Last year’s winner of the Pole Star Award, Inez Karlsson, passes on the baton to the next winner with a performance at the final. During the year, she performed at the National Day Concert with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and played as a soloist at the Baltic Sea Festival with Polstjärneprisets Symphony Orchestra and the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Get to know the finalists

About Polstjärnepriset

With the motto “More than a competition”, Polstjärnepriset is a unique initiative and a national meeting place for young talents in classical music. It is a forum where young musicians can meet like-minded people, test their technical and stage skills in the competition stage and, not least, get the opportunity to be taught by a very renowned collection of instructors. In parallel with the competition, a course is arranged which is open to young musicians up to 20 years of age. In total, around 60 young people are involved in the Pole Star Award each year.

Through individual teaching, master classes, and playing in chamber and orchestral settings, a system is offered where each competition and course participant develops as a musician both individually and in a group. First, everyone meets for four days during the autumn holidays to get to know each other, receive instruction and rehearse together. The next time everyone gathers is the first week of January. Then the focus is on the competition stage, which consists of three stages, and preparations for the concerts where the highlight is the final concert in Gothenburg’s Concert Hall.

The winner receives SEK 50000 and will further represent Sweden in Eurovision Young Musicians, Europe’s largest competition for young classical musicians, which is seen by millions of TV viewers across Europe.

Polstjärnepriset is organized by the National Center for Music Talents.