Soloists' Competition Final 2026

Deep breath. The stage is yours.  

Following a period of competition heats, finalists showcase their skills in this popular and prestigious competition, performing a concerto of their choice to be in with a chance of winning the Trinity Laban Soloists’ Competition 2026.

This year’s competition will feature:

Alique Khambatta (Piano) performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major
Elizabeth Rajhans (Harp) performing Ginastera’s Harp Concerto, Op. 25
Nefeli Erma Maliali (Piano) performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466

Biographies

Alique Khambatta is a pianist currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Performance at Trinity Laban, where she studies with Elena Riu and Mikhail Kazakevich. She completed her Bachelor of Music at Trinity Laban as a recipient of the Udmi Devi Scholarship and is currently supported by the Satyam Kaylon Scholarship.

She began piano lessons at the age of five with Roxana Anklesaria and has also been mentored by Myrna Fernandez. Alique has won numerous prizes at national and international piano competitions, including Musiquest, the International Trio Competition in Marktoberdorf (Germany), ConBrio, and the North London Festival, and has performed widely across the UK and abroad.

Alique has participated in masterclasses with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Pascal Rogé, Tomislav Baynov, Pervez Modi, Hiroaki Takenouchi, and Benjamin Schatz, and has taken private lessons with Joanna MacGregor and Dr. Min Kwon. She has also attended advanced performance courses, including the Musical Odyssey Course, the International Institute of Young Musicians (Kansas, USA), and the Bayerische Musikakademie Marktoberdorf (Germany). Recent highlights include a self-curated contemporary performance at Trinity Laban’s New Lights Festival and broadcast appearances such as BBC Radio Live Kent. She is currently an Artist in Residence at the London Transport Museum and looks forward to presenting a concert series with her singer-duo partner.

Elizabeth Rajhans was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2003. She started learning the harp at the age of five alongside her twin sister Catherine. They studied at the Shamo Music School in Kyiv with Yelizaveta Herasina for five years. They later continued their studies at the Chopin music school in Moscow with Lena Watson. They participated and received nominations in numerous international competitions during that time. They later returned to Kyiv and enrolled for A Level Distance Learning course through Junior Trinity, in London. Elizabeth and Catherine are currently in their fourth year at Trinity Laban studying under the guidance of Gabriella Dall’Olio, the Head of Harp.

They performed at the Human Rights Conference at the Foreign Office in 2022, London Fashion Week in 2023, and have given several harp recitals across the UK during their studies. They received the Richard Harrison Trust Scholarship and are the winners of the John Marson Harp Prize for an Outstanding Musician.

Nefeli Erma Maliali is a Limassol-born Cypriot pianist based in London, and a current PhD researcher in Creative Practice at Trinity Laban, specialising in Piano Performance and Piano Technique. She completed her Artist Diploma with Distinction in 2025 as a Trinity College London piano scholar, following her Master of Music in Piano Performance with Distinction in 2023, under the mentorship of Prof. Kazakevich.

In June 2021, she graduated with First Class Honours from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying piano with Mikhail Kazakevich and classical singing with Anne Dawson, and received the ‘Marjorie Hazlehurst Piano Award’ for the greatest imagination, enterprise, and highest level of performance.

Her performance career spans solo recitals, chamber music, competitions, and festivals across the UK and abroad. Highlights include the UK Premiere of Eleanor Alberga OBE’s The Soul’s Expression at Trinity Laban’s Keyboard and Voice Festival 2024. She has also co-hosted innovative CoLab Festival projects, and in 2025, directed her own Piano Workshop on Interpretation, Artistic Freedom and Performance Anxiety. Her multifaceted talent was recognised and received an award for ‘Multifaceted Artistic Talent As An Active Member In Public Events’.