Windsor Festival is pleased to announce an exciting collaboration for the International String Competition and Champs Hill Records who will be offering a recording opportunity to Yuki Ito, winner of the 2011 Competition and to the winners of future WFISC finals.  Later this autumn, Yuki will record Rachmaninov's much-loved Cello Sonata for Champs Hill Records, to be released in Spring 2012.  The CD marks Yuki's recording debut.

“I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support which my family and I and all the competitors have received from everyone involved in mounting this fantastic Competition. It is a huge honour to win and I am very excited about returning to Windsor in September to perform with the Philharmonia.”

In an incredibly exciting and close-fought final on Friday night, Japanese cellist Yuki Ito was pronounced Winner of the 3rd Windsor Festival International String Competition, walking away with a prize of £5000 cash, a bow kindly donated by Bishop Instruments and Bows, a concerto performance with the Philharmonia in the September Windsor Festival and other recitals. In second place was the Chinese violinist, Jiafeng Chen and in third place was the Bulgarian cellist, Michael Petrov.

The 3rd Windsor Festival International String Competition Audience Prize, voted for by the audience on the night of the Final, went to Michael Petrov, the Bulgarian cellist currently studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.