Noah Lee Wins Buchet International Cello Prize
Lee takes the First Prize at the 2026 Buchet International Cello Competition held in Brussels, Belgium.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Classical
Noah Lee won the Prix Maryse Buchet First Prize at the 2026 Buchet International Cello Competition. Artyom Ionisyan earned Second Prize and Wanxuan Xu earned Third Prize.
Why it matters
The competition offers its top laureates cash awards, a prized bow and instrument support, along with an invitation to perform at the Brussels Cello Festival. The results give the three cellists a platform for future performance engagements.
The prize money descends in steps from €3,000 for First Prize to €1,000 for Third Prize, and the jury comprised the chair Han Bin Yoon plus seven additional members. The stub does not disclose how many candidates competed or how the jury scores were tallied.
The players
Noah Lee
Noah Lee is a cellist who has been a top prizewinner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians.
Belgium Cello Society
The Belgium Cello Society is the organization that ran the Buchet International Cello Competition in Brussels.
The details
The competition was organized by the Belgium Cello Society and held at the Conservatoire Royal de Mons. First Prize also includes an engraved J.P. Bernard bow, a GEWA cello case and a maintenance package from the Maison Bernard workshop, while all laureates received string sets and instrument maintenance from sponsors.
Timeline
• The 2026 Buchet International Cello Competition took place in Brussels in 2026.
• The three laureates were invited to perform at the 2026 Brussels Cello Festival in 2026.
Season Trajectory
Lee's First Prize adds to his record at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, where he has previously placed among the top prizewinners. The result strengthens his standing among emerging international cellists as the Buchet competition's laureates move into public performance engagements.
Audiences can hear the three laureates perform at the 2026 Brussels Cello Festival, since all three were invited to appear there. The festival appearances are the practical way for listeners to see the winners in person this year.
The takeaway
Following emerging competition winners through festival appearances is a practical way to track rising classical talent. Watching for these performances can reveal which young cellists are building lasting careers.
Further reading
Explore more Classical coverage to see how this competition fits within the broader world of cello performance.
Source note: This article includes information reported by World's Leading Classical Music Platform.
