Ukrainian pianist Sulamita Pyvovar has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Maura Dowdall Competition, receiving the Maura Dowdall Award of €1,000, generously presented by the Dowdall Family. The final round took place on Wednesday 18 February 2026 in the Whyte Recital Hall, following outstanding performances from three finalists.
Sulamita, a 21-year-old pianist currently studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Professor Lance Coburn, impressed the jury with her performance of Otar Taktakishvili’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor (I Allegro, II Scherzo, III Andante, IV Finale: Allegro molto). Sulamita performed with Professor Coburn at a second piano, playing the orchestral reduction.
Having relocated to Ireland in 2022, Sulamita continues to build a remarkable performance profile. She received her early training at the Donetsk Regional Specialized Music School for Gifted Children, before studying at the Lviv State Musical Lyceum and continuing her studies at the Lviv National Music Academy.
Her recent achievements include performances as a soloist with the Lviv National Symphony Orchestra and the Khmelnytsky Regional Philharmonic Orchestra, where she performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. In 2025, she was awarded the Lucien and Maura Teissier Scholarship and won the Hibernian Orchestra Concerto Competition, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
The 2026 final showcased a wide-ranging programme and a high standard of artistry across all three finalists:
Filip Baszynski, piano, performed George Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major (I Allegro moderato, II Andante con moto, III Allegro agitato). Filip is a 24-year-old pianist from Poland, currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at RIAM. He has studied piano for nearly 20 years, completed his Bachelor’s degree under Anthony Byrne, and continues his studies with Lance Coburn. He is a prize-winner of the Dublin Chamber Festival and the Senior Piano competition at the Feis Ceoil, with additional distinctions from competitions in Poland and Lithuania. He is also passionate about piano teaching and music education.
Yuxiao Wang, viola, performed Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher (I Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal, II Nun laube, Lindlein, laube!, III Variations: Seid ihr nicht der Schwanendreher). Yuxiao graduated from the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music with excellent academic results and was sponsored by the Chinese Government for exchange study at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, while also volunteering at the Silk Road Project’s Global Musician Workshop. She is now a first-year master’s student of Robin Panter at RIAM, holding a full scholarship, and in 2025 she successfully presented a solo recital.
RIAM extends sincere thanks to the members of the jury for their time, expertise, and care in evaluating a superb final round:
- Joe Csibi, Head of Orchestra and Chorus, National Concert Hall
- Patricia Kavanagh, pianist and former Head of Keyboard, RIAM
- Brian O’Rourke, former General Manager and Principal Clarinet of the RTÉ NSO
Warm thanks also to the competition accompanists, Dearbhla Brosnan and Lance Coburn, for their artistry and support throughout the event.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in the Whyte Recital Hall. The encouragement of the audience plays a vital role in celebrating emerging artists and sustaining the musical community around them.
The Maura Dowdall Award honours the legacy of Maura Dowdall, founder of Educational Music Services in the 1970s and its director for more than 30 years. Her dedication to the welfare and development of young musicians continues through the support of her family. In addition to the prize of €1,000, the overall winner may also receive, at the discretion of National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, an opportunity to perform as a soloist with the NSOI.