Violinist Pauline van der Rest and cellist Willard Carter are two of the five young musicians selected
The Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) has announced five musicians to be part of its 2026 cohort, two of which are string players. The group comprises violinist Pauline van der Rest, cellist Willard Carter, pianists Itamar Carmeli and Callum McLachlan, and oboist Ewan Millar. Carter was also named the 2026 YCAT Anniversary Artist.
The musicians were selected at the public final auditions held at Wigmore Hall on 7 May. This year saw a record number of applications, with a 26 per cent increase on 2025.
Belgian violinist Pauline van der Rest is currently studying at the Kronberg Academy with Janine Jansen, where she also receives mentorship from Gidon Kremer.
Competition success included first prizes at the 2018 International Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists 11 to 13 year old category and the Odesa International Violin Competition junior division, second prize at the 2019 International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists and reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
She has performed as a soloist with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and Kremerata Baltica, and played chamber music with artists including Gidon Kremer, Janine Jansen and Tabea Zimmermann. She currently plays a 1783 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin.
British cellist Willard Carter began studying at the Escuela de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid in 2018 with Ivan Monighetti. In 2023, he was a student at the Barenboim–Said Akademie with Frans Helmerson and from 2026 onwards he has studied with Antje Weithaas in Berlin.
He has undertaken masterclasses with cellists including Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Jens Peter Maintz, and at programmes including IMS Prussia Cove, the Heifetz Academy and the Daniel Hope Academy.
Carter has performed recitals at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Radio Classique Festival in Saint-Malo, Solsberg Festival and has played at Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace and the Berlin Konzerthaus. Carter has also curated concerts at the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the Gstaad New Year Festival. In 2025 he won the VP Opus Bank Award in Liechtenstein. He plays on a 1893 Vincenzo Postiglione cello.
As YCAT artists, the musicians will receive dedicated developmental management, including strategic planning of worldwide engagements, targeted marketing to over 5,000 promoters and concert halls, professional photography and video assets, comprehensive social media and digital support, and live recordings of recitals at Wigmore Hall.
The 2026 panel was chaired by YCAT’s CEO and artistic director Alasdair Tait and comprised Tanya Bannister, Caro Barnfield, Jon Carvell, Etta Dainty, Guido Gärtner, Johannes Pfeuffer and Rachel van Walsum.
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