Application:
The 74th ARD International Music Competition 2025 in Munich is open for the following categories:
Clarinet
Piano
Trumpet
The invitation to participate in this competition is extended to young musicians, who are ready to launchcan international career.
The competition is open to musicians of all nations born between 1996 and 2008.
The competition will be conducted during the period from September 1 to 19, 2025 (including the prizewinners’ concerts).
All auditions are open to the public.
Deadline for registration: March 28, 2025
The following documents must be enclosed:
online application form
scan of passport or identity card
artistic curriculum vitae in continuous text (printable)
portrait photograph (jpg file) of the applicant, which will be published – black & white or color (without copyright).
in case of students: approval of the teacher (text; no special form)
digital VIDEO recording:
mp4 oder mov-Datei, max. 900 MB
The music in the video recording may not be edited, may not be processed and may not be older than one year (the works required for the preselection can be found in the repertoire conditions).
proof of payment of the registration fee in the amount of € 60.
Bank details:
Bank: Hypovereinsbank München (UniCredit)
account holder: Bayerischer Rundfunk
purpose: candidate’s name/IMW 2025/11850040
BIC (Swift Code): HYVEDEMMXXX
IBAN-Number: DE22 7002 0270 0000 0816 13
Following receipt of the admission confirmation, the participation fee of € 150 must be transferred “free of bank charges for the recipient” at the latest by July 31, 2025. This participation fee cannot be refunded in case the candidate withdraws from participation.
Awards:
Clarinet
First Prize € 10,000
Second Prize € 7,500
Third Prize € 5,000
Piano
First Prize € 10,000
Second Prize € 7,500
Third Prize € 5,000
Trumpet
First Prize € 10,000
Second Prize € 7,500
Third Prize € 5,000
Repertoire:
CLARINET
Pre-selection
Gioacchino Rossini, Introduction, Theme and variations and
Johann Stamitz, Concert for Clarinet, 1st movement
The pieces can be recorded separately – a maximum of 2 file uploads is possible.
The works from no. 2 and 6 have to be performed from memory.
First round (20-25 min.)
One of the following works:
Unsuk Chin, Advice from a Caterpillar for bass clarinet
Jonathan Harvey, Cirrus Light for clarinet solo
Márton Illés, Three Watercolours for clarinet solo
Bruno Mantovani, Bug for clarinet solo
Jörg Widmann, Drei Schattentänze for clarinet solo
One of the following concertos:
Bernard Hendrik Crusell, Concerto no. 2 F minor, op. 5
Louis Spohr, Concerto no. 4 E minor, WoO 20
Carl Maria von Weber, Concerto No. 1 F minor, op. 73
Carl Maria von Weber, Concerto No. 2 E flat major, op. 74
The complete work has to be prepared. The jury may choose movements for the performance.
Second round (max. 45 min.)
One of the following sonatas:
Johannes Brahms, Sonata F minor, op. 120 no. 1
Johannes Brahms, Sonata E flat major, op. 120 no. 2
Max Reger, Sonata F sharp minor, op. 49 no. 2
Camille Saint-Saëns, Sonata E flat major, op. 167
One of the following works:
Alban Berg, Four pieces for clarinet and piano, op. 5
Claude Debussy, Première Rhapsodie
Iris ter Schiphorst, composition commissioned for the ARD International Music Competition 2025 (world premiere) *
The sheet music will be supplied along with the admission to the competition. The commissioned piece may not be publicly performed prior to the competition.
* The commissioned works are financed by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.
Semifinal with the Munich Chamber Orchestra (without conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto for clarinet and orchestra A major, KV 622 (Ed. Bärenreiter)
Final with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
One of the following works:
Aaron Copland, Concerto for clarinet and string orchestra with harp and piano (Ed. Boosey)
Carl Nielsen, Concerto op. 57 (Ed. Wilhelm Hansen)
Sándor Veress, Concerto (Ed. Suvini Zerboni)
PIANO
Pre-selection
a) Joseph Haydn or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
a sonata, free choice
b) a virtuosic etude, free choice, but not by Frederic Chopin
Movements can be recorded as separate tracks.
Up to 5 file uploads are possible.
The commissioned piece as well as the works of group 4 can be played from scores. All other pieces must be performed from memory.
First round (maximum 25 minutes)
Domenico Scarlatti or Antonio Soler,
a sonata, free choice (not longer than 3 minutes)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue from the Well-tempered Clavier, 1 or 2 (not longer than 7 minutes)
One etude by Frédéric Chopin, except op. 10 No. 3, op. 10 No. 6 and op. 25 No. 7
One of the following works:
Lera Auerbach, Milking darkness for piano solo (2011)
Pascal Dusapin, Piano Works Nr. 1, Did it again (2017)
Marc-André Hamelin, Pavane Variée for piano solo (2014)
Márton Illés, Négy tárgy, Four objects for piano (2022)
Manfred Trojahn, Deux Préludes for piano solo (2006)
Jörg Widmann, Toccata for piano solo (2002)
Second round (maximum 55 minutes)
One of the following works by Maurice Ravel:
Gaspard de la nuit. Trois poèmes
Jeux d’eau and sonatina F sharp minor
La Valse. Piano version
From Le Tombeau de Couperin: Prelude, Fugue, Rigaudon and Toccata
Miroirs, Nr. 1, 2, 3, 4
Valses nobles et sentimentales
One of the following sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven (without repetitions): op. 2 Nr. 3, C major / op. 10 Nr. 3, D major / op. 13, Nr. 8, C minor / op. 31 Nr. 1, G major / op. 31 Nr. 3, E flat maor / op. 53, C major / op. 57, F minor / op. 81a E flat major/ op.90, E minor / op. 101, A major / op. 109, E major / op. 110, A flat major
One of the following works:
Johannes Brahms, Sonata no. 2 F sharp minor, op. 2
Johannes Brahms, Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, 1st book
Johannes Brahms, 2 Rhapsodies, op. 79
Johannes Brahms, Cycle, op. 118
Franz Liszt, Ballad no. 2 B minor
Franz Liszt, Rigoletto – Concert paraphrase
Franz Liszt, Dante-Sonata (Après une lecture du Dante. Fantasia quasi Sonata)
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Variations sérieuses D minor, op. 54
Franz Schubert, Sonata A minor, D 537
Franz Schubert, Sonata A major, D 664
Franz Schubert, Sonata A minor, D 784
Robert Schumann, Sonata G minor, op. 22
Robert Schumann, Papillons, op. 2 no. 5
Robert Schumann, Symphonic Etudes, op. 13 (2nd version)
Robert Schumann, Waldszenen, op. 82
Semifinal with the Munich Chamber Orchestra (without conductor)
One of the following concertos by W. A. Mozart: KV 413 / KV414 / KV415 / KV459 / KV488
or
Joseph Haydn: D major, Hob. XVIII:II / G major, Hob. XVIII:IV
or
Ludwig van Beethoven, no. 2 B flat major, op. 19
Enno Poppe, composition commissioned for the ARD International Music Competition 2025 (world premiere)*
The sheet music will be supplied along with the admission to the competition. The commissioned piece may not be publicly performed prior to the competition.
* The commissioned works are financed by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.
Final with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
One of the following concertos:
Camille Saint-Saëns, Concerto no. 2 G minor, op. 22
Sergej Rachmaninow, Concerto no. 4 G minor, op. 40 (Boosey & Hawkes, Standard edition 1941)
Bohuslav Martinů, Concerto no. 4, H 358
Béla Bartók, Concerto no. 3, Sz 119
Sergej Prokofjew, Concerto no. 2 G minor, op. 16
TRUMPET
Pre-selection
a) Arthur Honegger, Intrada for trumpet and piano B flat major, H. 193
b) Johann Friedrich Fasch, Concerto D major: 1st and 2nd movement
The pieces should be recorded separately.
2 file uploads are possible.
The works of groups 2 and 6 have to be performed from memory.
First round
One of the following works:
Théo Charlier, Deuxième Solo de Concours
Jonathan Freeman-Attwood /Thomas Oehler, from the Sonata after Richard Strauss, 1st movement Allegro energico
Joseph Jongen, Concertino, op. 41
Florent Schmitt, Suite, op. 133
Léon Stekke, Concertino, op. 17
One of the following works from memory:
Johann Wilhelm Hertel, Concerto no. 1 E flat major
Johann Melchior Molter, Concerto no. 1 D major
Leopold Mozart, Concerto D major (Edition Kunzelmann or W. Haas)
Georg Philipp Telemann, Concerto D major
Second round:
One of the following works:
Edison Denisow, Con sordino for trumpet and piano
Toshio Hosokawa, Im Nebel for trumpet and piano
György Ligeti, Mysteries of the Macabre for trumpet and piano
Harold Shapero, Sonata (1940) (Peer-Music)
One of the following works:
Alfred Desenclos, Incantation, Thrène et Danse
Eino Tamberg, Concerto no. 1, op. 42
Henri Tomasi, Concerto
Mieczysław Weinberg, Concerto B flat major, op. 94
Semifinal with the Munich Chamber Orchestra (without conductor)
Annelies Van Parys, composition commissioned for the ARD International Music Competition 2025 (world premiere)*
The sheet music will be supplied along with the admission to the competition. The commissioned piece may not be publicly performed prior to the competition.
* The commissioned works are financed by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.
One of the following concertos:
Joseph Haydn, Concerto E flat major, Hob. VIIe:1 (Ed. Bärenreiter) from memory and with own cadenza
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Concerto E major (Ed. Henle or Breitkopf & Härtel) from memory.
Final with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
One of the following concertos:
Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Nobody knows the trouble I see for trumpet and orchestra (Ed. Schott)
Hans Werner Henze, Three movements from Requiem (1992) (Ed. Schott)
Wolfgang Rihm, MARSYAS (1999), Rhapsodie for trumpet with percussion and orchestra, 2nd version, 1998/1999 (Universal Edition)
More information: https://www.br.de/ard-music-competition/competition/application/index.html