A 12-year-old Japanese cellist from The Hague is the 2025 winner of the Concertgebouw’s annual competition for talented young musicians up to the age of 14.
Botan attends the Gymnasium Haganum in The Hague, one of the oldest schools in the Netherlands and constantly ranked as one of the top schools in the country. Former alumni include numerous politicians and former prime ministers, novelists, film directors and historians.
She studies with Dutch cellist Matthijs Broersma who also teaches at the renowned Menuhin School in London.
The concert
On Dutch TV
A little more about Botan
Her favourite food is crêpes and she loves horse riding
Earlier in the year, she won second prize at the Britten Cello Competition 2025 and hopes to eventually perform with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. “Everyone plays so well, and I want to talk to them about what makes their instrument special.”
The competition’s digital preliminary round
The Concertgebouw’s 2025 edition welcomed a diverse range of musical styles with more than 200 digital entries. Participants of all levels (aged 9 to 14) submitted their entry via a YouTube video. This was followed by a fun-filled workshop day led by Oene van Geel and Jong NBE.
Botan in concert
See Botan live in concert at the Grachtenfestival on August 23rd where she will give two performances, at 11am and 2pm accompanied by her mother Akane Takada.
Or if you are travelling in Japan this summer, you can hear her in concert in Tsurugaoka on August 14 & 15th, again with mum on the piano. A real family affair.
Read more in my article for DutchNews
Previous winners
Previous winners include recorder player Lucie Horsch, (2009) and pianist Nikola Meeuwsen (2014) who recently became the first Dutchman to win the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
The finals concert took place in Het Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal on Saturday 28th June.
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