List of classical music competitions

European Classical music has long relied on music competitions to provide a public forum that identifies the strongest players and contributes to the establishment of their professional careers. This is a list of current competitions in classical music, with each competition and reference link given only once. Many offer competitions across a range of categories and in these cases they are listed under "General/mixed". Competitions with age restrictions are listed under "Young musicians".

Chamber music

• Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition, for piano trios and string quartets, in Melbourne, Australia, every four years^[1][2]
• Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition, voice and piano duo, piano trio, Graz, Austria, every three years^[3]
• International Chamber Music Competition Hamburg for piano trios and string quartets (Hamburg, Germany)^[4]
• International Shostakovich Chamber Music Competition (Moscow, Russia)^[5]
• Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, held in Melbourne, Australia, every four years^[2][6]

Choral/voice

Candlelight Master
Young Boy Singing (1650)

• Australian Singing Competition (Sydney, Australia)^[7]
• Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers' Competition (UK)^[8]
• BBC Singer of the World competition (Cardiff, Wales)^[9]
• Boris Christoff International Competition for Young Singers (Sofia, Bulgaria)^[10]
• Concurs Internacional de Cant Francesc Viñas (Barcelona, Spain)
• International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
• Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition (Gütersloh, Germany)^[11]
• International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition (Warsaw, Poland)
• International Stasys Šimkus choir competition (Klaipėda, Lithuania)^[12]
• International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, Russia)
• International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands)
• Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award^[13]
• The Klaudia Taev Competition for Young Opera Singers (Pärnu, Estonia).
• Marilyn Horne Song Competition, competition for classical singers and piano accompanists since 1997.
• Operalia, The World Opera Competition (Paris, France)
• Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Brussels, Belgium)
• Queen Sonja International Music Competition (Oslo, Norway)

Composition

Laurent de La Hyre
Allegorical Figure of Music

• Gaudeamus International Composers Award (Netherlands)^[14]
• George Enescu International Competition (Composition section) (Bucharest, Romania)^[15]
• International Composers Festival, Hastings and Bexhill, East Sussex, United Kingdom^[16]
• International Uuno Klami Composition Competition (Kotka/Kouvola, Finland)^[17]
• Masterprize International Composing Competition^[18][19]
• Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Brussels, Belgium)^[20]
• 60x60 – International (New York, US)
• Tōru Takemitsu Composition Award (Tokyo, Japan)^[21]

Conducting

Conductor Tetiana Kalinichenko

• Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition (Spain)^[22]
• Donatella Flick Conducting Competition (UK)
• Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition (Germany)
• International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors (France)
• Jorma Panula Conducting Competition (Finland)
• Leeds Conductors Competition (UK)
• Nicolai Malko Competition For Young Conductors (Denmark)^[23]
• Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition (Germany)^[24]
• The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors (Poland)^[25]
• Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting (Japan)

General/ mixed

• EUROPAfest (Bucharest, Romania)
• Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition (previously International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition; Paris, France)
• Nishinihon International Music Competition (Fukuoka, Japan)
• Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
• Windsor Festival International String Competition (Windsor, UK)^[26]

Instrumental

Bartolomeo Bettera Still Life with Musical Instruments and Books

• ARD International Music Competition (Munich, Germany)
• Gaudeamus Competition (Netherlands)^[27]
• International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition Hanover
• International Performers Competition Brno (Brno, Czech Republic)^[28]
• Leos Janacek International Competition (Brno, Czech Republic)^[29]
• Montreal International Music Competition (Montreal, Canada)
• Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
• Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Brussels, Belgium)^[30]
• TROMP international music competition & Festival (Eindhoven, Netherlands)^[31]

Large Ensembles

Part of the autograph score for Applicatio in C major, BWV 994 by Johann Sebastian Bach

Musicology

Piano/keyboard

Piano in the foyer of Tutzing castle

Maurizio Balzola at the piano

• Anton Rubinstein Competition (Dresden, Germany)^[32]
• Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (Tel Aviv, Israel)^[33]
• Ciutat de Carlet International Piano Competition (Valencia, Spain)^[34]
• Clara Haskil International Piano Competition (Vevey, Switzerland)^[35]
• Cleveland International Piano Competition (Cleveland, US)^[36]
• Concours Géza Anda (Zurich, Switzerland)^[37]
• Dallas Chamber Symphony International Piano Competition (Dallas, US)^[38]
• The Dranoff International Two Piano Foundation (Dallas, US)^[39]
• Epinal International Piano Competition (Epinal, France)^[40]
• EPTA - International Piano Competition Svetislav Stančić (Zagreb, Croatia)^[41]
• Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition (Bolzano, Italy)^[42]
• George Enescu International Competition (Piano section) (Bucharest, Romania)^[15]
• Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (Salt Lake City, US)^[43]
• Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (Hamamatsu, JP)^[44]
• Hilton Head International Piano Competition (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US)^[45]
• Honens International Piano Competition (Calgary, Canada)^[46]
• International Chopin Piano Competition (Poland)^[47]
• International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition (Seregno, Italy)^[48]
• International Franz Liszt Piano Competition (Utrecht, Netherlands)^[49]
• International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (organ; Leipzig, Germany)^[50]
• International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs (Paris, France)^[51]
• International Tchaikovsky Competition (Russia)^[52]
• ISANGYUN Competition (Tongyeong, South Korea)^[53]
• José Iturbi International Piano Competition (Los Angeles, US)^[54]
• Kissingen Piano Olympics (Kissinger Klavierolymp, Bad Kissingen, Germany)^[55]
• Lagny-sur-Marne International Piano Competition (Lagny, France)^[56]
• Leeds International Pianoforte Competition (Leeds, UK)^[57]
• Maria Canals International Music Competition (Barcelona, Spain)^[58]
• Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
• Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition (Santander, Spain)^[59]
• Panama International Piano Competition (Panama City, Panama)^[60]
• Peabody Mason International Piano Competition (Boston, US)^[61]
• Petr Eben International Organ Competition (Opava, Czech Republic)^[62]
• Pilar Bayona Piano Competition (Spain)^[63]
• Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Belgium)^[64]
• Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition (Lleida, Spain)^[65]
• Sendai International Music Competition (Sendai, Japan)^[66]
• St Albans International Organ Competition (St Albans, UK)^[67]
• Sussex International Piano Competition (Worthing, UK)^[68]
• Sydney International Piano Competition (Sydney, Australia)^[69]
• Valencia International Piano Competition Prize Iturbi (Valencia, Spain)^[70]
• Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, US)^[71]
• World International Piano Competition (Santa Fe, US)^[72]

String instruments

Lady Blunt Stradivari violin (1721)

• Carl Flesch International Violin Competition (London, UK; 1945–1992)^[73]
• Carl Nielsen International Music Competition (Odense, Denmark)
• Città di Brescia International Violin Competition (Brescia, Italy)
• George Enescu International Competition (Violin, Cello section) (Bucharest, Romania)^[15]
• Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (Poznań, Poland)
• International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists (Brussels, Belgium)^[74]
• International Brahms Competition (Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Austria)^[75]
• International Fritz Kreisler Competition (Vienna, Austria)
• The International Harp Contest in Israel (Jerusalem, Israel)
• International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition (Helsinki, Finland)
• International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, Russia)
• International Violin Competition Henri Marteau (Lichtenberg and Hof, Germany)^[76]
• International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, US)
• International Violin Competition Leopold Mozart in Augsburg (Augsburg, Germany)
• ISANGYUN Competition (Tongyeong, South Korea)^[53]
• Klein Competition (San Francisco, US)^[77]
• Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition (Isle of Man, UK)
• Maurice Vieux International Viola Competition (France)
• Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand)
• Moscow International David Oistrakh Violin Competition (Moscow, Russia)
• Mstislav Rostropovich International Cello Competition (Paris, France)^[78]
• Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
• Paganini International Competition (Genoa, Italy)
• Primrose International Viola Competition (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
• Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Belgium)
• Sendai International Music Competition (Sendai, Japan)
• Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (Shanghai, China)
• Singapore International Violin Competition (Singapore)
• USA International Harp Competition (Bloomington, Indiana, US)
• Windsor Festival International String Competition (Windsor, UK)^[79]
• Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists (Richmond, VA, US in 2021)^[80]

Woodwind instruments

Bassoon (made by Fox)

• BBC Young Musician of the Year (UK)
• Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (Indiana, US)
• Gregynog Young Musicians Competition (Wales, UK)^[81]
• International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
• International Russian Rotary Children Music Competition (Russia)^[82]
• International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Moscow, Russia)^[83]
• Jeunesses Musicales International (Various)^[84]
• New York International Piano Competition (New York, US)^[85]
• Prague Spring International Music Competition (Prague, Czech Republic)^[86]
• Sydney Eisteddfod (Sydney, Australia)

Young musicians

• ABC Young Performers Awards (Sydney, Australia)^[87]
• International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Russia)
• Eurovision Young Musicians (Europe)

See also

• European Union of Music Competitions for Youth
• List of Recipients of the Terence Judd Award
• World Federation of International Music Competitions
• Category:Classical music awards

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External links

• List of Classical Music Competitions at MusicaNeo
• Directory of International Piano Competitions
• Musicalchairs.info List of Competitions
• ClassicalNet: Festivals, Competitions, Concerts & Concert Venues
• World Federation of International Music Competitions
• List of all flute laureates