Cimbalom players from Hungary and abroad were awarded at the BMC International Cimbalom Competition, held for the first time on August 31, 2019 at Budapest Music Center.

Mykhaylo Zakhariya won the first prize in the the contemporary-classical category, while the open category's first prize was awarded to Dániel Szabó.

The jury of distinguished cimbalom artists included Ágnes Szakály, Kálmán Balogh, Miklós Lukács, and András Szalai, also joined by musicologist Gergely Fazekas and composer and conductor Péter Eötvös for the finals.

Altogether 18 000 euros were awarded in two categories to the six finalists.

The BMC International Cimbalom Competition 2019 inspires a new generation of cimbalom players, showcases new talents, and places the instrument into a 21st century context between August 25-31 at Budapest Music Center in Hungary.

The competition was supported by EMMI - The Ministry of Human Capacities.

The finalists

Contemporary-classical category
1st prize: Mykhaylo Zakhariya
2nd prize: Erzsébet Gódor
3rd prize: Nicholas Tolle

Open category
1st prize: Dániel Szabó
2nd prize: Sándor Ürmös
3rd prize: Rodrigo Nolasco Contreras Vásquez