Website: http://schubert.kug.ac.at/en/

Category: Chamber Music
Date: February 8 to 16, 2012
Country: Austria


Founded by the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in 1989, the event has aimed to promote chamber music among young musicians through a combination of classical masterpieces with modern music trends. The competition is held triennially in Graz, featuring three categories- duo for voice and piano (Lied), string quartet, and piano trio. Winners would be invited to perform at the Gala Concert, and also to tour in various countries at events like Festival Ljubljana and International Piano Competition Franz Liszt Utrecht. Past winners include Jerusalem Quartett and Amaryllis Quartett.

Website: http://www.ipcl.lu/

Category: Percussion
Date: February 18 to 26, 2012
Country: Luxembourg

Founded in 1989 by Professor Paul Mootz from Luxembourg, the IPCL aims to endow percussion ensembles across the globe with the opportunity to compete and challenge beyond new artistic possibilities, as well as to showcase the uniqueness of various percussion instruments to public. Held in the Conservatoire de Musique de la Ville de Luxembourg in the southern part of the country, where the excellent acoustics in the grand auditorium have attracted a wide range of performing artists including Bernard Haitink, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Martha Argerich, Felicity Lott and Lazar Berman. The conservatoire also houses a museum of early instruments, providing a rich musical ambience as the host.

Website: http://www.udk-berlin.de/

Category: Violin, Viola
Date: March 26 to April 1, 2012
Country: Germany

Named after the renowned violinist and music educator Max Rostal, the competition originally takes place annually in his hometown- Bern, Switzerland. Since 2009, Berlin University of Arts has become host of the event after Bern Conservatory. Featuring both violin and viola disciplines every year, the event aims to follow Rostal’s passion in supporting young musicians. Candidates are judged according to their musicality, interpretation, stylistic sense and charisma. A high technical level is naturally required, but is not the defining goal. Atop sponsorships and performance opportunities, laureates will be awarded various sets of Pirastro strings of own choice as encouragement.

Website: http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/

Category: Chamber Music
Date: March 27 to April 1, 2012
Country: United Kingdom

Named after the central assembly of classical musical life in London, the competition is jointly organized by The Wigmore Hall Trust and The London String Quartet Foundation. Held triennially at the leading concert venue for chamber music, the event aims to strengthen its attraction to the best young quartets by offering laureates career development opportunities. Selected laureates will be awarded funded residency at the Banff Centre in Canada; engagement in Menton Festival; as well as a sponsored coaching opportunity at the Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus Schloss Weikersheim. Laureates in 2009 include: The Danish String Quartet (First), Quatuor Voce (Second), Signum Quartet (Third).

Website: http://www.bach-leipzig.de/

Category: Cello, Voice, Organ
Date: July 4 to 14, 2012
Country: Germany

The competition was first launched in 1950 in the city of Bach; Leipzig. From a four-year cycle, it has become a biennial event since 1996, with three changing subjects.

Website: http://www.festival.cz/en/competition

Category: Cello, Harpsichord
Date: May 7 to 15, 2012
Country: Czech Republic

With a long history since its first reception in 1947 initiated by renowned Czech conductor and composer Rafael Kubelík, together with the Czech Philharmonic, the competition is internationally distinguished for its exceptionally high standards of musical aesthetics. Throughout history, the event has discovered a respectable number of great artists including Igor Bezrodny, Mstislav Rostropovich and Smetana Quartet. Taking place annually in Prague, two out of sixteen categories alternate in different combinations each year upon the decision of competition committee. Its refined quality is a promise from the jury panel consisting of world class music authorities, with big names such as David Oistrakh, Paul Tortelier, Jean-Pierre Rampal having been past juries. Laureates will be invited to perform on stage in the famous Prague Spring International Music Festival together with many more outstanding musicians.
The 2012 edition will focus on the cello and the harpsichord.

Website: http://www.instrumental-competition.de/engl/fs-engl.htm

Category: Horn, Tuba
Date: May 10 to 19, 2012
Country: Germany

First started as a violin contest from 1950 to 1965, the competition later featured more instrumental disciplines to recruit new musicians and gradually grew to an international highlight. Held in the world famous German town with a 350-year history of building high quality brass and string instruments, Markneukirchen also presents the most significant museum of musical instruments in Europe that keeps 3000 items collected around the world. Focusing mainly on string and wind instruments, the event is known for its high artistic quality and serves as a platform to promote young musicians. The competition gains further importance by the participation of leading and world famous personalities such as Prof. Julius Berger, Prof. Peter Damm and Prof. Kurt Masur.

The 2012 edition sets its categories in the horn and the tuba. This year a CD-pre-selection will be held before the competition for the first time. Finalists will perform together with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Theater Plauen/Zwickau.

Website: http://www.musashino-culture.or.jp/iocm/

Category: Organ
Date: September 21 to 30, 2012
Country: Japan

Website: http://oboeck.jp/

Category: Oboe
Date: September 30 to October 8, 2012
Country: Japan

The triennial International Oboe Competition of Karuizawa was founded in 1985. The key objectives of the competition are to promote the genuine artistic value of oboe performances, contribute to the development of musical culture, discover gifted musicians, and assist them in expanding their career opportunities in Japan and abroad. It is one of the few full-scale music competitions that focuses solely on oboe, one of the essential instruments of the orchestra. The competition has steadily gained global recognition and the number of international applicants has been increasing.

Website: http://www.hfm-weimar.de/

Category: Chamber Music
Date: November 4 to 11, 2012
Country: Germany