The final round of the 2025 Queen Elisabeth piano competition kicks off Monday evening at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels. Twelve pianists, seven men and five women, will compete throughout the week. The last performance is scheduled for Saturday, 31 May.
Japan leads with four finalists, followed by France with three. Other countries represented include Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, China, and Russia. Belgium’s Valère Burnon, 27, remains in contention and will perform on Tuesday.
Monday’s opening performances come from Japan’s Yuki Yoshimi and France’s Natalia Milstein. Each pianist will perform a concerto of their choice and the compulsory piece Music for the Heart, composed by Belgian Kris Defoort for this edition.
Finalists spent a week in seclusion at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo to prepare. They will be accompanied by the Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Kazushi Ono.
Performances will be broadcast nightly at 20:00 on Ketnet, Klara, and VRT Max, with Saturday’s finale airing on Canvas. Winners will be announced late Saturday evening.
