Major competition successes for Academy students
Sofia Patterson Gutierrez and Ivan Sedentsky
News Story
Congratulations to current students Ivan Sendetsky and Sofía Patterson-Gutiérrez for their recent successes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the Carl Nielsen International Competition.
The Queen Elisabeth Competition was established by Eugène Ysaÿe and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium in 1937 to springboard young violinists, pianists, singers and cellists to international renown. With a jury of musical experts, this major competition sees artists showcase a wide breath of musical styles, as well as presenting their own interpretations of contemporary works, with orchestral accompaniment.
In 2026, the Queen Elisabeth Competition was dedicated to the cello for the third time. Advanced Diploma cellist Ivan Sendetsky was recently named laureate after he competed in the final. You can watch Ivan’s final performances here.
The Queen Elisabeth Competition follows in a series of career successes for Ivan. He has won top prizes at the Grunewald Competition, Vienna International Music Competition, Manhattan International Music Competition, Schoenfeld Competition and Tchaikovsky Competition. He regularly appears at major music festivals, such as the Verbier Festival, Schlern Music Festival and Vivacello Festival and has performed in prominent music halls across Europe. As a chamber musician, he performs in the SenS Duo.
Third-year undergraduate flautist Sofía Patterson-Gutiérrez was awarded Second Prize and the Junior Jury Award at the Carl Nielsen International Competition 2026.
Founded honour of composer Carl Nielsen and hosted every four years, the Carl Nielsen International Competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions for young artists, offering participants the chance to launch their careers in classical music. The competition has been hosted by Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark since 1980.
2026 saw flautists compete for prizes; the competition alternates between violin, clarinet and flute, instruments which Nielson composed concertos for.
BBC Young Musician finalist Sofía Patterson-Gutiérrez has performed with orchestras across the UK, including guest principal work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra. This summer will see her perform with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The Hallé (Buxton International Festival), the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and with musicians from the Academy and The Juilliard School at this year’s BBC Proms. She was recently awarded Gold Medal at the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition Final.
The competition has been quite a journey! It's been very enjoyable (although stressful too, I won't deny) and has taught me many valuable lessons. I have had the most incredible support from everyone at the Academy and most of all my teacher, Michael, who is always such an inspiration. I am now also in love with Denmark!