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Launch of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition 2026
Press release from 01/06/2026
The Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition 2026 starts on 7 January in the subjects of piano and chamber music with wind instruments
The oldest German competition for young musicians in the fields of piano and chamber music with wind instruments will be held from 7 to 11 January 2026. The artistic director of the competition is Ulf Werner, former orchestra director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. The jury for piano will be chaired by pianist and President of the Mannheim University of Music ProfRudolf Meister, while ProfEckart Hübner, Dean of the Faculty of Music at the Berlin University of the Arts and Professor of Bassoon, will head the jury for chamber music with wind instruments. The patron of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition is Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons.
32 pianists and 17 wind ensembles from 23 German music academies will take part in the competition. They will be competing for follow-up engagements, CD productions and prize money totalling over 30,000 euros, including the "Prize of the Federal President", the only cash prize awarded by the Federal President in the field of music.
The first two rounds of the competition will take place from 7 to 9 January in the concert hall of the Berlin University of the Arts (piano) and in the Joseph Joachim Concert Hall (chamber music with wind instruments) with free admission. The highlight and festive conclusion will be the final concert on 10 January and the concert of the prizewinners on 11 January with competition participants and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under the direction of Gregor A. Mayrhofer. The winners in the chamber music with wind instruments category will be announced on 9 January at around 6.30 pm in the Joseph Joachim Concert Hall, while the winners in the piano category will be announced after the final concert at around 7.15 pm in the UdK Berlin Concert Hall and on the website and social media channels.
On 10 January, four nominated pianists will perform either the 1st or 2nd Piano Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in the final concert from 4 pm in the UdK Berlin Concert Hall.
On 11 January, the prizewinners in both disciplines will perform in the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt. In addition to the concert overture from "The Hebrides" and a piano concerto by Mendelssohn Bartholdy, there will be performances of pieces from the competition programme and the commissioned work by Iranian composer Elnaz Seyedi.
All the competitions and the final will be streamed live, and selected videos will also be available on the website afterwards. Information on the competition, the concerts, the juries, all participants and the prizes can be found at www.fmb-hochschulwettbewerb.de.
All participants at a glance:
www.fmb- hochschulwettbewerb.de/wettbewerb-2026/teilnehmende-2026/
Press contact
Claudia Assmann
Head of Press / Communication
Berlin University of the Arts
Tel. 030 3185-2456
claudia.assmann@intra.udk-berlin.de
www.udk- berlin.de
The Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition is organised by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Rectors' Conference of German Music Universities and the Berlin University of the Arts.
FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY UNIVERSITY COMPETITION 2026
Public competitions:
Piano competitions
1st round: 07 and 08 January 2026, from 10 am
2nd round: 09 January 2026, from 10 am
Concert hall of the Berlin University of the Arts, Hardenbergstraße/
corner Fasanenstraße, 10623, access for the public via the side entrance
Chamber music competitions with wind instruments
1st round: 07, from 10.30 am and 08 January 2026, from 10 am
2nd round: 09 January 2026, from 10 am
Joseph Joachim Concert Hall of the UdK Berlin, Bundesallee 1-12, 10719 Berlin
Final concert in the piano category
10 January 2026, 4 pm
Finalists in the piano category
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Gregor A. Mayrhofer, conductor
Concert hall of the UdK Berlin, Hardenbergstraße/corner of Fasanenstraße, 10623 Berlin
Admission: 14,- Euro, reduced 10,- Euro*
Concert of the prizewinners
In the subjects piano and chamber music with wind instruments
11 January 2026, 7 pm
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Gregor A. Mayrhofer, conductor
The programme will be published on 10 January
Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin
Admission: 14,- Euro, reduced 10,- Euro*
All competition performances and the final will be streamed live, some of the videos will also be uploaded to the website later. Information about the competition, the concerts, the juries, all participants and the prizes can be found at www.fmb-hochschulwettbewerb.de.
*System and advance booking fees apply
Press release (PDF)
