The piece that Simon Nakhimovitch will perform for Belgium at Eurovision Young Musicians 2026 in Yerevan has been revealed.
Simon Nakhimovitch will perform Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, which was composed by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The piece was written as a violin concerto, with Simon explaining that:
“It’s very rarely played on a marimba…It’s all over the place, it goes in every direction, it’s fast, and it’s really fun to play”
RTBF has also confirmed that Caroline Veyt and Pierre Solot will guide viewers through its coverage of Eurovision Young Musicians 2026. Caroline Veyt is a radio and television presenter who commentated on Young Musicians in 2024, while Pierre Solot is a pianist, comedian and presenter.
19-year-old Simon Nakhimovitch will represent Belgium in Yerevan aty= Eurovision Young Musicians 2026. The marimba player was selected by a jury from nine musicians who performed as part of the Belgian national final in January. Simon is currently studying his bachelor’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and is also taking conducting lessons at the Luxembourg City Conservatory.
Eurovision Young Musicians 2026 will take place on June 6 in Yerevan. This is the first time that Eurovision Young Musicians has been hosted by Armenia, and the third time Yerevan has hosted a Eurovision contest.
The countries and musicians competing are:
🇦🇲 Armenia: AMPTV – Elen Virabyan – Flute – Aram Khachaturian’s, Violin Concerto transposed for flute
🇧🇪 Belgium: RTBF – Simon Nakhimovitch – Marimba – Camille Saint-Saëns’s, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
🇨🇾 Cyprus: CyBC – Iakovos Kedaritis – Clarinet
🇨🇿 Czechia: ČT – Nora Lubbadová – Piano
🇩🇪 Germany: WDR – Moë Dierstein – Violin – Felix Mendelhssohn’s, Violin Concerto in E minor, 3rd mvt
🇱🇻 Latvia: LSM – Sonja Misiņa – Percussion – Concerto for Marimba and Strings, Op. 12, 3rd mvt by Emmanuel Séjourné
🇵🇱 Poland: TVP – Michał Stochel – Accordion
🇵🇹 Portugal: RTP – Beatriz Li Rosão – Violin – Korngold’s Violin Concerto 3rd movement in D major
🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS – Jana Jakovljević – Violin – Zigeunerweisen by Pablo de Sarasate
🇸🇪 Sweden: SVT – Edward Ahlbeck Glader – Piano
🇨🇭 Switzerland: SRF – Manoush Toth – Piano – Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7
Eurovision Young Musicians
Eurovision Young Musicians is a contest for musicians between the ages of 12 and 21. It has been held since 1982, as the first spin-off contest of the Eurovision Song Contest. The event celebrated its 20th edition in 2022, when Montpellier hosted the competition.
A total of 43 countries have competed over 21 editions of the contest. Norway has competed in 20 out of the 21 contests, tied with Austria. Austria is the most successful country, having won six editions and competed in 17 finals. Leonhard Baumgartner from Austria is the latest winner of the contest, taking victory in Bodø in 2024.
Source: RTBF