Meet the Prizewinners of the 10th KIFC

Biographies

1st Prize
	Rafael ADOBAS BAYOG (Spain) After graduating from the Ibiza Conservatory with an Extraordinary Prize and honors, Rafael entered Vicens Prats’ class at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). Since 2017, he has been studying with Professor Andrea Lieberknecht at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with a full scholarship given by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is a PE-Förderkreis fellow, as well as a Yamaha Europe scholarship holder. He has played as a soloist with several ensembles such as the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Odense Symphony Orchestra and multiple ensembles in Spain. He has also performed as a chamber musician in several festivals, such as Tongyeong International Music Festival in South Korea. Currently, he is Principal Flute at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. He won the 3rd prize at the Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition 2019.
For me the moment of announcement was quite special. I was surrounded by my friends from the orchestra and we were all very excited. Instead of hearing First Prize I understood Third Prize. So I was happy already when I got called. But then I heard “the other First Prize goes to…”. Then I understood I was the First Prize winner and I was in shock. It was a very confusing yet funny moment. And still, up to today, it is unbelievable. I feel very happy and relieved that this time all the hard work paid off and that I got to celebrate with my loved ones.

	Mario BRUNO (Italy) After studying the flute at the Music Conservatory in Foggia, he continued his studies with Michele Marasco at the “Accademia Italiana del Flauto” and with Davide Formisano at the HMDK in Stuttgart. He is currently attending the Excellence in Performance course in the class of Andrea Lieberknecht, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. He a prize winner of many competitions including the first prize at International Flute Competition “Severino Gazzelloni”. As a soloist, he has performed with various chamber groups and orchestras in Italy and abroad. He also played as soloist under conductors such as Patrick Gallois and Andrea Raffanini. Since August 2021 he is 1. Solo Flute at the Staatsorchester Kassel.
I was totally and honestly surprised; I put a lot of effort in the recordings, but it’s such a big competition with such high level contestants, that I wasn’t even expecting to get in to the final, let alone win the first prize! I couldn’t realize the news when they announced the winners, and I’m still realizing it!

3rd Prize
	ISHII Kie (Japan) Born in Fukuoka. She studied at Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music and completed Advance course with specialization in flute. She also completed her training at Toho Orchestra Academy and the Tokyo University of the Arts. She studied with Satomi Uchino, Misako Sou, Ryu Noguchi, Ayako Takagi, Vincent Lucas, and Vicens Prats. She is a prizewinner of many competitions including the 2nd prize at the 88th Japan Music Competition, the 1st prize at the 19th Japan Flute Convention Competition, and the 1st prize at the Tsukuba Flute Competition 2018. As a soloist, she performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Kosuke Tsunoda) and the Yokohama Sinfonietta (conducted by Kazuki Yamada) and has also made guest appearance in many orchestra. Currently she studies at the Paris Ecole Normale Conservatoire.
I am honored to receive such a wonderful recognition. I am even more determined to devote myself sincerely to music in order to become a musician worthy of the prize I have received. I am grateful for all those who worked hard to make the competition possible despite the difficult situation brought about the coronavirus pandemic. And, I am looking forward to seeing you all in Kobe!

	Marianna Julia ŻOŁNACZ (Poland) She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at both Mozarteum Univeristy of Music and the Chopin University of Music with Michael Martin Kofler ,Maria Peradzyńska, and Urszula Janik. She is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions such as the Carl Nielsen International Competition 2019 (2nd Prize), Guangzhou International Flute Competition 2018 (1st Prize), the 9th Kobe International Flute Competition (3rd Prize), but to name a few. As a soloist, she has performed nationally and internationally with the Warsaw Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Poland, the Slovak State Philharmonic Kosice, Ensemble Kobe, and among others.
I was full of gratitude. Full of happiness and peace. I was grateful to my teachers, parents for all the help and support and also to myself – it was a very tough year for me and I was considering giving up on preparation to this year’s edition. But I managed, and with a beautiful result.

5th Prize
	Anna KOMAROVA (Russia) After competed her study at the Secondary Special Music School of Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory, she continued her education with Valentin Tcherenkov in the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory, where she is currently studying in Post Graduate Performance Course. During her training she took part and won international competitions in Portugal, Austria, Sweden, Ukraine and Russia. From 2013 to 2018, she played in the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra. In 2018 she won Russian competition for the orchestra players and become the principal flute of Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra. She regularly performs as a soloist, chamber musicians and member of the woodwind quintet.
coming soon…

6th Prize
	Joidy Scarlet BLANCO LEWIS (Venezera) After studying at Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music in Venezera, she continued her studies at the Conservatoire National de Musique et Danse de Lyon, Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneva, and the Reina Sofia School of Music. She made her solo debut with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra at the age of 13, and the following year she won a flute position in the Simon Bolivar Orchestra where she played under baton of many conductors like Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel. She has also played with orchestras like Ausgburger Philhamoniker, Orchestre National due Capitole de Toulouse and Madrid Filarmonis. A laureate of many national and international competitions, including Tchaikovsky International Competition (2nd prize), Nicolet International Flute Competition (3rd prize), and Internationaler Instrumentalwettbeweb Markneukirchen (2nd prize).
To be a prize winner from Kobe Competition, it’s a big weight that I will have on my shoulders my whole life. I think it’s the most prestigious flute competition in the world, and whenever someone mention past prize winners I will be included in those names. It’s really crazy and an honor for me.