Welsh cellist wins top young musician award
A 20-year-old Cardiff cellist has claimed Wales’ top young musician award after a late-career breakthrough. Iván Cherednichenko Carrillo won the Pendine Young Musician of Wales title at the North Wales International Music Festival, securing a £2,000 prize and the competition’s engraved silver trophy.
From near-miss to victory
Cherednichenko Carrillo had finished second in the same competition last year, making this year’s win particularly meaningful. The judges praised his ability to perform complex cello duo techniques with pianist Louisa Lam, who accompanied him during the final. His set included works by Mervyn Burtch, Bohuslav Martinů, and Manuel Ponce, showcasing a range of styles.
The competition’s artistic director, Professor Paul Mealor, described the event as a showcase for Wales’ young musical talent. The judging panel, comprising Professor Helena Gaunt, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, and Alun Jones, highlighted Cherednichenko Carrillo’s precision in synchronizing bow strokes and intonation with Lam, a skill they called “outstanding.”
Pendine Park owner Mario Kreft MBE, who presented Iván with the trophy, praised the standard of all four finalists who performed at St Asaph Cathedral in front of an enraptured audience.
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A career built on early promise
Cherednichenko Carrillo began cello lessons at age five and progressed to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Junior Conservatoire. By his teens, his skill level earned him a place at The Purcell School, the UK’s oldest specialist music school. He also attended the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he held principal cellist roles and won the Strings Prize in 2024.
His performances in Wales have included solo appearances with the Cardiff Baroque Orchestra and recitals at Llandaff Cathedral and Gregynog Hall. Internationally, he has toured in France, Italy, Ireland, and Malta, and now studies at the Royal College of Music in London, where he leads a string quartet and piano trio.
Supporting Wales’ musical future
The competition’s prizes were funded by Pendine Park through its Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT). The £1,000 second prize went to 14-year-old Ethan Pawley, a Welshpool-based French horn player and the youngest member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Leisa Mair Lloyd-Edwards, a soprano from Dyffryn Nantlle, and Llewelyn Biezard-Greenwell, a 19-year-old organist from Bangor, each received £500 as runners-up.
