In the early hours of 1 June 2025, Dutch pianist Nikola Meeuwsen was awarded First Prize in the 2025 edition of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, dedicated this year to the piano.
Pianist Nikola Meeuwsen, First Prize of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2025 © Emilie Vanderhulst
ResMusica: So, congratulations again for your First Prize. How do you feel today ?
Nikola Meeuwsen: It is s such a special moment of my life and I feel very happy.
RM : Did you in your mind have this projection that you could win the First Prize of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and see yourself winning it?
NM: Of course, as a musician, I joked about it with Arthur, my friend.
It was more as a funny joke, like : « okay, the finals were already a dream ». A prize would be incredible, but, like, the First Prize I wouldn't have thought. No, it's crazy.
RM: If you had to present yourself in some words, what would you say?
NM: Well, I'm a pianist that likes a very big amount of repertoire. I enjoy playing Bach, as much as Prokofiev. There's a lot of music I still want to explore and I like
chamber music as much as solo playing. I have other interests as well. I want to develop more knowledge about other types of art and I want to read a lot. I like sports. I'm a big fan of cycling, (and yes Belgium is the right country for that).
RM: And you do find some time for that?
NM: I do have time, yeah. I think it's crucial. I think I would have gone crazy if I wouldn't have my bike. I even have my bike in the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
RM: How did you once chose to play the piano?
NM: Well, my cousin plays cello. So I wanted to play cello, but my cousin was too good.
So I didn't like that. I stopped playing the cello. Then I heard amazing Schumann CD
recording with piano. And then I just wanted to play the piano. I asked my parents : « can I please have piano lessons? ».
RM : You've already won several competitions. Where did the idea to enter this one come from?
NM : Well, I did enter competitions when I was very young. I gained a lot of experience from that. But this was my first very big competition. Of course, starting to study in the Chapel [ ndlr: Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel ] is a big thing. They prepare you in the most professional way imaginable. Of course, from a young age, the Queen Elisabeth Competition is a monument in your mind. But it's not a realistic plan to go win. But it happened, it's surreal.
RM: What was the impulsion to concretely enter the Competition, record a video and send it?
NM: It was very difficult to record the video. I had to record a fugue from the Art of Fugue by Bach, which almost no one has on their repertoire. I spent the whole summer with my friend practicing it, stressing about the video, almost not being on time for the video deadline. I wasn't so happy about my video, so I was very happy that I was admitted to the competition. Every step seemed to work, it's crazy.
RM: Maybe we can have a word on your programme. How did you build it?
NM: I built it without discussing with my teachers. I felt like it was the right choice to make my own decision. For the first round, you have all three choices. I choosed Chopin's Third Ballade because you can show a lot of music in there. For the semi-final, I choosed the Schumann Fantasy, which is very close to me, and Mendelssohn Variations sérieuses and Franz Liszt Après une lecture du Dante I'm very happy to have played that. The second Prokofiev concerto is a big monument in music. It's a monster of a piano concerto, a mountain.
RM: You already knew the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, but getting there in another context, in the framework of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, was something else, maybe? Did you feel quite familiar?
NM: It's like, oh, I'm here again, but for anything quite different.
RM: Was it a comfortable feeling for you?
NM : Normally, in the Chapel, I'm very close to the other people studying there, and also to the staff members. So, it was weird not being able to speak to them because we were not allowed to speak to them. So that felt really different. And not having a phone, we couldn't listen to recordings. It was different. But there's such a feeling of family in the Chapel that even though we were not in touch, we felt the warmth coming from people.
RM : Can you elaborate just a bit on your work on the Imposé, the final one for the final?
NM: A beautiful piece. A great man. He was such a fantastic, kind person. A great jazz pianist. It was so interesting to study his work. I wish I could have had more time for his concerto. I think it deserves to be studied for half a year and not for a week.
Because it's a really beautiful piece and with a lot of opportunities to make music.
RM : And during the concert, did you find that there was any step where you could express yourself fully or you enjoyed more than another? Or you enjoyed the whole process? Or not?
NM: Well, the feeling on stage is not necessarily a feeling you have to rely on. Because, sometimes, you feel extremely bad and actually it's your best performance. But for my feeling, I felt most happy in Mozart's concerto. I didn't feel like I was enjoying my Dante's Sonata. Apparently, people say it was the highlight of my runs. But yeah, of course, Mozart, you can enjoy it. It's so operatic. And of course, the Dante's Sonata is at least some horrific visions and music. So it's not something you enjoy, but it's very intense.
RM: Of course, it's different from a concert but did you try to make it
closer to a concert? Or did you play for the jury? Or did you just try to stay in your bubble?
NM: One of my best friends, Arthur Hinnewinkel, was fourth prize winner of the competition. Before the first round, we thought : » let's just forget about the judges. Let's just play for the people we love, for our friends, for the family. And even with the études we are so scared of, let's just play them and laugh about virtuosity and just play, try to make music. » And before the Mozart concerto, the night before, Arthur texted me: « Nikola, it could be the best concert of your life. Just enjoy it. It's Mozart, beautiful orchestra, beautiful hall. That's really something. So just see it as a concert. We appreciate it a lot. »
RM : Maybe just two more questions, but maybe it's not relevant. I don't know. Do you have some, as I heard you say, that you maybe will explore other kind of music or other knowledge in music, but do you have either some main or broad objectives for your music work, your piano work?
NM: There are many, many pieces in the repertoire. I want to learn and many things. I want to discover and want to play like endless amounts. We have such a huge repertoire.
RM : And maybe it's quite early to ask you such question, but how do you see the future now?
NM: Well, it's in a way … your life changes after this, like so many doors that you wanted to go open are finally maybe opening. And yeah, it's a very exciting time. Also, there's a lot of things coming. So that means you have to say also no to a lot of things, which is where I find very hard. But you have to do it and you have to decide because there are also things on the same period and you kind of have to choose. Choosing and saying no is very difficult. So, I hope I have a good intuition.
RM: And that may seem a stupid question, but I am more used to the violin world and I'm always amazed to see how you pianists can adapt quickly to many piano instruments. Do you have your own instrument? Is there a place where you like to play on a good instrument? How does it work for you?
NM: I'm very ideal environment. As I'm studying at the Chapel. We have great instruments there. Then in The Hague, where my parents live, I have a great Bösendorfer from the Muzieken Instrumenten Fonds (the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation)
So I have very good practicing opportunities wherever I am, which is, I think, very, very
luxurious. And yeah, of course, you learn. Every piano is different and can do different things.
RM: What could you say to someone who would be interested in piano or a career or something?
NM : Well, in general, just for parents, it's so important for your kids to learn about music. Just learn an instrument, learn how to read music, because it's exactly the same as reading a book. It's incredibly good for your brain, for development. And if you really like it, and you want to become a professional, it's a wonderful path. Just go on the adventure.