Website: http://www.br-online.de/br-klassik-english/ard-musikwettbewerb/index.xml

Category: Piano duet, Cello, Flute, Horn
Date: August 22 to September 10, 2010
Country: Germany


The competition, founded in 1952 and taken place annually in Munich, is one of the most important international competitions in Germany for classical music. Disciplines alter every year to include voice, solo instruments and ensembles. This year, it is devoted to horn, cello, flute and piano duet. Past winners include Jessye Norman, Mitsuko Ushida, Christoph Eschenbach, Yuri Bashmet, Heinz Holliger, Natalia Gutman, Thomas Quasthoff just to name a few.

Website: http://www.lipizer.it/

Category: Violin
Date: September 3 to 12, 2010
Country: Italy


Named after the Italian violinist and composer, Rodolfo Lipizer, the competition was established in 1982 and has taken place annually in Gorizia, Lipizer’s native town, located in the northeastern part of Italy. Competitors will perform works by Lipizer and other renowned masters such as Paganini, Beethoven and Brahms. The winner will be given an opportunity to play on Lipizer’s violin at the closing ceremony of the finalists’ concert, and also be engaged for other performances. Past winners include Tedi Papavrami, Alexandre Dubach, Roman Simovic, Kristof Barati, Amaury Coeytaux, just to name a few.

Website: http://www.brahmscompetition.org/

Category: Piano, Chamber music, Violin, Viola, Cello, Voice
Date: September 5 to 12, 2010
Country: Austria


Named after one of the leading pianists and composers, Johannes Brahms, the annual competition has taken place since 1984 in Pörtschach, a town located on a beautiful lake where Brahms spent summer months and wrote some of his most important pieces. It aims to promote classical music and culture in the region, and welcomes participantsof all ages. Marks are given immediately after each performance and in full view of the public, the Competition is proud of the transparency and fairness of the judgement. The repertoire includes works by Brahms and other famous composers such as Bach, Chopin, Mozart and Haydn. Past winners include Kristaps Bergs, Miroslav Sekera, Milan Karanovic, Alexander Akimov, Giampaolo Stuani and Lea Birringer.

Website: http://www.filharmoniabp.hu/en/international_opera_competition_memoriam_ferenc_erkel

Category: Voice
Date: September 6 to 15, 2010
Country: Hungary


Founded in 1933 by the Philharmonia Budapest, the competition has taken place in this beautiful city famous for its culture and history. Discipline changes every edition and the first singing competition, named after Hungarian opera composer Ferenc Erkel, was in 1960. This year, contestants will perform arias from different eras in the first two rounds with piano accompaniment, and finalists will perform scenes on stage in costume with the Hungarian State Opera. Past winners include Farkas Rose-Marie, Lívia Budai, Martinoiu Vasile and Bartha Alfonz, just to name a few.

Website: http://www.chant.toulouse.fr/

Category: Voice
Date: September 6 to 11, 2010
Country: France


Created in 1954, the biennial singing competition has been held in Toulouse, a city with a diverse culture located in southwestern France, known as the “Pink City” for its brick architecture. It welcomes young vocalists to display their virtuosity and professional singing ability. The repertoire includes art-songs, lieder, oratorios and arias. The finalists will be accompanied by the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse for the performance of arias. Nathalie Manfrino, Ketevan Kemoklidze, Robert Pomakov and Karen Vourc’h are some of the past winners.

Website: http://www.scottishinternationalpianocompetition.com/

Category: Piano
Date: September 8 to 19, 2010
Country: United Kingdom


Established in 1986 by Scottish pianist, Frederic Lamond, who was one of the very last pupils of Franz Liszt, the competition has taken place triennially in Glasgow, an acknowledged centre of art, music and Victorian architecture, and where the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama is located. 24 contestants will display their musical virtuosity by performing solo pieces, chamber works with the Brodsky Quartet, and concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The jury is chaired by Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, and renowned artists such as Sally Beamish, Noriko Ogawa, Stephen Plaistow and Viktoria Postnikova are the members. Past winners include Sergei Babayan, Giampaolo Stuani, Alexander Kobrin and Tom Poster.

Website: http://www.cfnavarra.es/gayarre

Category: Voice
Date: September 10 to 18, 2010
Country: Spain

Named after the 19th century Spanish opera singer, Julián Gayarre, the biennial contest was first held in 1986 in Pamplona. The repertoire includes famous arias from operatic works by Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Rossini, Mozart and so on, and also excerpts from cantatas and oratorios. The competition collaborates with several music organisations, such as Vlaamse Opera from Belgium and Brasov Opera from Romania, which select contestants and offer them the opportunity to take part in their productions. Past winners include Joshua Hopkins, Jorge Luis de Leon Hernandez and Anna Kasyan. The jury consists of famous artists including Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Obraztsova, American soprano Cheryl Studer and is chaired by Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza.

Website: http://www.violin.org

Category: Violin
Date: September 10 to 26, 2010
Country: United States


The competition was founded in 1982 by violinist Josef Gingold and has taken place every four years in Indianapolis. Its mission is to discover and nurture violin talents and encourage appreciation of the violin repertoire. It was not designed to heighten the competitive aspects of the contest, but to focus on giving opportunities for the contestants to perform in front of a large audience and to enjoy their time on stage. Past winners include Augustin Hadelich, Barnabás Kelemen, Judith Ingolfsson, Stefan Milenkovich and Pavel Berman, just to name a few.

Website: http://www.ivc.nu/

Category: Voice
Date: September 17 to 26, 2010
Country: Netherlands


The competition has been a sole international classical vocal contest in the Netherlands since 1954. It has taken place biennially in ’s-Hertogenbosch, a city with rich cultural heritage. Competitors can apply for one of the categories, “Opera”, “Oratorio and Song”, or “All-round”. The repertoire can be decided by the contestants but should include music from three periods and styles. Great vocalists such as Elly Ameling, Thomas Hampson, Ileana Cotrubas, Nelly Miricioiù, Joshua Ellicott, Measha Brueggergosman, Cora Burggraaf and Lenneke Ruiten are some of the past winners.

Website: http://www.fritz-kreisler.music.at/

Category: Violin
Date: September 13 to 21, 2010
Country: Austria


Named after Austrian violinist and composer, Fritz Kreisler, the competition has been held every four years in Vienna since 1979. It supports violin talents in their career by arranging concert engagements and CD recordings for the top prize winners. The repertoire includes works by Beethoven, Bach and Fritz Kreisler. Six finalists will be performing a concerto with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Past winners include Dimitri Sitkovetsky, Sergej Krylov, Sergey Khachatryan and Fanny Clamagirand, just to name a few.