The second edition of the Ljubljana Festival International Piano Competition concluded on 1 March 2026 in Ljubljana, organized by Festival Ljubljana.

The triennial competition continues to establish itself as one of the most important international piano competitions in Central Europe, bringing together outstanding young pianists from around the world and presenting demanding repertoire from the classical, romantic and modern piano literature.

This year’s edition once again confirmed the high artistic level of the competition and the growing international recognition of the event.

Winner of the 2026 Competition

The winner of the 2026 Ljubljana Festival International Piano Competition is Italian pianist Alberto Ferro, who received the Ljubljana City Award after impressing both the jury and the audience with his musical interpretation and technical mastery.

Official Results – Ljubljana Festival Piano Competition 2026

1st Prize – Ljubljana City Award
Alberto Ferro – performed on a Fazioli piano

2nd Prize – Triglav Insurance Award
Youl Sun – performed on a Fazioli piano

3rd Prize – Ljubljana Festival Award
Zhiquan Wang – performed on a Steinway & Sons piano

4th Prize
Jonathan Mak – Fazioli

5th Prize
Elia Cecino – Fazioli

6th Prize
Heeseong Noh – Fazioli

Special Awards for Outstanding Performances

Several special diplomas were awarded for exceptional interpretations of works from different musical periods.

Best Performance of a Classical Sonata
Heeseong Noh – Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 by Ludwig van Beethoven

Best Performance of a Romantic Work
Jonathan Mak – Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 by Johannes Brahms

Best Performance of a 20th Century Work
Zhiquan Wang – La Valse by Maurice Ravel
Youl Sun – Trois mouvements de Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky

Best Performance of a 21st Century Work
Kiryl Bartashevich – Étude No. 2 “Sequenzen” by Unsuk Chin

Best Performance of a Work by Fryderyk Chopin
Matteo Bortolazzi – 24 Preludes, Op. 28 by Fryderyk Chopin

Competition Statistics and Instrument Choice

The 2026 competition also revealed interesting statistics regarding instrument selection among the participants.

• 29 pianists participated in the competition

• 17 competitors chose the F278 concert grand piano by Fazioli

• Among the 12 pianists admitted to the second round, 9 performed on Fazioli

• In the final round, 5 of the 6 finalists performed on a Fazioli piano, while one finalist chose a Steinway & Sons instrument

These numbers illustrate the range of instrument choices made by pianists during the competition and highlight the presence of the Fazioli F278 among the available concert instruments.

Watch the Winner’s Final Performance

Below you can watch the video of the winning final performance, recorded at the closing concert of the Ljubljana Festival International Piano Competition 2026.

The performance captures the artistic level of the finalists and the atmosphere of the competition’s concluding evening.

© Darja Štravs Tisu