Mayuko Ozava, 25, from Japan won the first prize of the Fifth International Piano Players Competition Albert Russell and the special award of the patron of the event. She received EUR 2,300 as a part of the award. Thirty young piano players from seven countries participated in the competition held from February 6 to 13 in Sofia's Musical Academy. The foreign performers came from Argentina, Korea, Macedonia, Mexico, France and Japan. They played French Baroque, romantic and contemporary music. The performers had to play one piece by Albert Russell and one by a Bulgarian composer of their choice.
The jury awarded two second prizes in the higher age group, of 1,150 euros each, to Andrey Angelov from Bulgaria and Ezekiel Spuchez from Argentina. The competition was organized by the Albert Russell Foundation with the assistance of the French Institute in Sofia, Sofia's Musical Academy, the Albert Russell Committee of Paris, among others.