Sixteen-year-old cellist Joshua Kováč first began cello lessons at age four as a student of Jean Dexter. Since 2015, he has studied under the tutelage of renowned cellist, Professor Daniel Veis.

Joshua has won top prizes at numerous national and international competitions, including First Prize at the International Young Artist Concerto Competition (2024), Second Prize at the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition (2023), First Prize at the Nashville Symphony Curb Concerto Competition (2023), First Prize and the Zoltán Kodály Award at the Gustav Mahler International Cello Competition (2023), and Second Prize at the 2021 MTNA National String Competition.

Joshua has performed as a soloist with the Nashville Symphony, SEEN Orchestra (Chicago), Symphony of the Mountains, Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Kinnor Philharmonic, ETSU Orchestra, and Scruffy City Orchestra. In 2020 Joshua appeared on NPR’s radio show From The Top and received the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.

In 2022 Joshua attended the Kronberg Cello Masterclasses in Germany, where he was accepted into the class of Jérôme Pernoo. Summer festivals include Chamber Music Northwest’s Young Artist Institute, Music@Menlo, Heartland Chamber Music Festival, and ETSU Chamber Music Festival. This summer he will attend the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute and Meadowmount School of Music.

Joshua has been privileged to have lessons and masterclasses with renowned musicians, including Hans Jørgen Jensen, Jérôme Pernoo, Peter Stumpf, Edward Aaron, Zlatomir Fung, Thomas Landschoot, Gilbert Kalish, Dmitri Atapine, Matt Haimovitz, Steven Doane, Keith Robinson, Johannes Moser, and members of the Harlem and Parker String Quartets.

PROGRAM

SEMIFINALS
Sergei Prokofiev        Sinfonia concertante in E minor for Cello, Op. 125
II. Allegro giusto

FINALS
Antonín Dvořák        Cello Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191
III. Finale: Allegro moderato — Andante — Allegro vivo

BACH
J.S. Bach.      Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
I. Prélude