Ossian’s Dream and Duo Yamane won joint first prize, each receiving €3,000
The annual International Van Wassenaer Competition for early music ensembles took place from 3 to 5 September during the Utrecht Early Music Festival. This year’s edition focused on Classical and Romantic repertoire.
Two groups were awarded first prize, each winning €3,000. The ensembles were Ossian’s Dream and Duo Yamane.
The InVent Quintet and Duo Mair Koelmans both won the €2,000 second prize, with the InVent Quinet also taking home the Audience Award and Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht prize. The latter comes with either a concert at the Festival Oude Muziek Tournees 2026/2027 or a concert at the 2026 Utrecht Early Music Festival.
All finalists also received a professional photoshoot and a €500 masterclass voucher.
Ossian’s Dream is a Basel-based collective specialising in historically informed performance of 18th- and 19th-century music. The musicians that performed at the compeition were Dutch violinist Anne Sophie Van Riel, Swiss cellist Martin Egidi, Grenadian clarinetist Claudia Reyes Segovia and Pau Fernández Benlloch, from Spain, on fortepiano.
The Duo Yamane was formed in Japan in 2022 and is currently based in Tokyo, making its debut at Antwerp’s International Young Arist’s Presentation. It comprises cellist Futo Yamane and fortepiano player Yuki Yamane and focuses on 17th- to 19th-century music. The duo has performed at festivals across Europe and released a recording in 2018 of Robert Schumann’s Fastasy Pieces op.73 with Warner Music Japan.
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