9th Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Competition Monaco Awards the Voice-Piano Duo Grand Prize

Ambroisine Bré, Mezzo Soprano and Qiaochu Li, pianist  ©DR

On 29 October 2017, H.E. Mr. Claude Cottalorda, Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco to France, accompanied by his wife, represented H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco at the final of the 9^th Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice-Piano Competition, held at the Higher National Conservatory of Dramatic Art, Paris.

The competition took place over three days and brought together 33 duos representing 17 different nationalities.

Each of the six finalist duos presented a programme that included a compulsory "Sonnet" by Benoît Mernier - a work composed especially for this 9^th contest - and a melody by Lili or Nadia Boulanger.

This year, the Rainier III of Monaco Voice-Piano Duo Grand Prize, awarded with the support of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince, was won by 29-year-old French mezzo-soprano Ambroisine Bré, and Chinese pianist Qiaochu Li, who is 28.  The duo also received a Special Mention for the best performance of Benoît Mernier's "Sonnet."

The Lied Prize was awarded to soprano Sophia Burgos and pianist Daniel Gerzenberg, and the Melody Prize to soprano Marie-Laure Garnier and pianist Cécilia Oneto-Bensaid.

The Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice-Piano Competition is a real springboard for the career of these young musicians, opening the doors to various festivals in France and abroad.