The ARD International Music Competition (German: Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD) is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is held once a year in Munich.
Since its inception in 1952, the ARD International Music Competition has become one of the most prestigious classical music competitions. It was started by the broadcasting corporations of what was once known as the Federal Republic of Germany. It is run under the backing of the Bayerischer Rundfunk and takes place usually in September. Winning a prize at this ARD International Music Competition has been an enormous aid for internationally famous artists such as Jessye Norman, Francisco Araiza, Natalia Gutman, Christoph Eschenbach, Anna Malikova, Nobuko Imai, Mitsuko Uchida, Thomas Quasthoff, Yuri Bashmet, Christian Tetzlaff, Sharon Kam, Heinz Holliger, Isabelle Moretti, Peter Sadlo, and Maurice André, to name just a few.
The ARD International Music Competition has its roots in an earlier competition. Between 1947 and 1950 the Frankfurter Rundfunk assisted this "Young Soloists Competition". The earliest competition discovered two female vocalists who would soon take their place among the international talented: Christa Ludwig and Erika Köth. Instrumentalists included the flautist Karl-Heinz Zöller and the pianist Robert Alexander Bohnke. This newly founded ARD continued the concept of bringing together talented young musicians from the entire globe.
The first ARD International Music Competition took place in 1952. What makes this competition so unique is that the categories alter from year to year to include solo instruments, as well as voice and chamber ensembles. The importance of including modern music has been very prominent; contemporary composers have regularly been commissioned to write new pieces for this Competition ever since the year 2001. The ARD International Music Competition not only stimulates competition among the many musicians but also serves the musical citizens as a centre where musicians can meet.
Anywhere from 350 to 450 young musicians apply each year to compete. Some 200 candidates coming from 35 to 40 countries make it past the preliminary round. A large percentage of competitors come from countries other than Germany (up to 86%) and this provides the highest levels of competition.
From 2001 to 2005, Christoph Poppen, then the conductor of the Munich Chamber Orchestra, has been Artistic Director of the ARD International Music Competition. Ingeborg Krause took over the task of organising the competition that same year, after serving 35 years as the head of another famous German competition called the "Jugend musiziert".
In 2007, the ARD International Music Competition was in September for the categories of oboe, trombone, percussion and piano trio. Original compositions by Johannes Maria Staud, Søren Nils Eichberg, Jörg Widmann and Maricio Kagel are required to be played.
Voice (male)
1st Prize: Alfred Kim, KoreaPiano
2nd Prizes (shared): Severin von Eckardstein, Germany; Oliver Kern, GermanyViolin
2nd Prize: Bin Huang, V.R. China3rd Prizes (shared): Andrei Bielov, Ukraine; Francesco Manara, ItalyHorn
2nd Prizes (shared): Alessio Allegrini, Italy; László Seemann, Hungary3rd Prize: Sibylle Mahni, SwitzerlandOrgan
2nd Prize: Martin Kaleschke, GermanyVoice (female)
1st Prize: Zoryana Kushpler, Ukraine3rd Prizes (shared): Stefanie Krahnenfeld, Germany; Christa Mayer, GermanyVoice (male)
1st Prize: Konrad Jarnot, Great Britain2nd Prize: Nathaniel Webster, USA3rd Prize: Friedemann Röhlig, GermanyViola
2nd Prize: Danuta Waskiewicz, GermanyFlute
2nd Prizes (shared): Rozàlia Szabó, Hungary; Henrik Wiese, Germany3rd Prize: Kersten McCall, GermanyPiano Duo
1st Prize: Mati Mikalai / Kai Ratassepp, Estonia2nd Prize: Duo d'Accord, Taiwan/GermanyString Quartet
2nd Prize: Avalon String Quartett, France/Canada/USA3rd Prize: Quartetto Prometeo, ItalyViolin
2nd Prize: Annette von Hehn, Germany3rd Prizes (shared): Min Jung Kang, Korea; Yamei Yu, GermanyCello
1st Prize: Danjulo Ishizaka, Germany2nd Prizes (shared): Julie Albers, USA; Monika Leskovar, Croatia3rd Prize: Thomas Carroll, Great BritainSaxophone
2nd Prize: Alexandre Doisy, France3rd Prizes (shared): Lutz Koppetsch, Germany; Julien Petit, FrancePercussion
1st Prize: Marta Klimasara, Poland2nd Prize: Eirik Raude, Norway3rd Prize: Christophe Roldan, FranceWind Quintet
1st Prize: Miró Ensemble, Spain2nd Prize: Orsolino Quintett, Germany/Austria3rd Prize: St. Petersburg Woodwind Quintet, RussiaBassoon
2nd Prize: Matthias Rácz, Germany3rd Prizes (shared): Jaakko Luoma, Finland; Lyndon Watts, AustraliaOboe
3rd Prizes (shared): Nora Cismondi, France; Alexandre Gattet, France; Keiko Inoue, JapanPiano
1st Prize: Denys Proshayev, Ukraine2nd Prize: Ferenc Vizi, Romania3rd Prize: Chiao-Ying Chang, TaiwanPiano Trio
2nd Prizes (shared): Trio con Brio, Denmark/Korea; Trio Ondine, Sweden/Denmark/NorwayVoice (female)
1st Prize: Marina Prudenskaja, Russia2nd Prizes (shared): Andrea Lauren Brown, USA; Measha Brueggergosman, Canada3rd Prize: Julia Sukmanova, RussiaVoice (male)
1st Prize: Gérard Kim, Korea3rd Prizes (shared): Tyler Duncan, Canada; Günter Papendell, GermanyDouble Bass
1st Prize: Nabil Shehata, Germany2nd Prize: Roman Patkoló, Slovakia3rd Prize: Ödön Rácz, HungaryClarinet
2nd Prize: Olivier Patey, France3rd Prize: Florent Pujuila, FranceTrumpet
1st Prize: David Guerrier, France2nd Prize: Giuliano Sommerhalder, Switzerland3rd Prizes (shared): Gabor Richter, Hungary; Guillaume Couloumy, FranceViola
1st Prize: Antoine Tamestit, France2nd Prize: Ryszard Groblewski, Poland3rd Prize: Tomoko Akasaka, JapanFlute
1st Prize: Magali Mosnier, France2nd Prize: Pirmin Grehl, Germany3rd Prize: Andrea Oliva, ItalyString Quartet
1st Prize: Quatuor Ébène, France2nd Prize: Faust Quartett, Germany3rd Prize: Quatuor Benaïm, Israel/FranceHarp
1st Prize: Anton Sie, Netherlands2nd Prize: Nabila Chajai, France3rd Prize: Mirjam Schroder, GermanyViolin
1st Prize: Keisuke Okasaki, Japan2nd Prize: Akiko Yamada, Japan3rd Prize: Katja Lämmermann, GermanyCello
1st Prize: Jing Zhao, China2nd Prize: Alexander Bouzlov, Russia3rd Prize: Alexander Chaushian, Armenia/Great BritainHorn
1st Prize: Szabolcs Zempléní, Hungary2nd Prizes (shared): Louis-Philippe Marsolais, Canada; Renate Hupka, Germany3rd Prize: Christoph Eß, GermanyPiano Duo
2nd Prizes (shared): Victor y Luis del Valle, Spain; Piano Duo Poskute – Daukantas, Lithuania3rd Prize: Silivanova – Puryzhinskiy, RussiaVoice/Opera
1st Prize: Jun Mo Yang, Korea2nd Prize: Joshua Hopkins, Canada3rd Prizes (shared): Ilse Eerens, Belgium; Anna Kasyan, ArmeniaVoice/Lied
2nd Prizes (shared): Roxana Constantinescu, Rumania; Carolina Ullrich, Chile/Germany3rd Prizes (shared): Colin Balzer, Canada; Peter Schöne, GermanyPiano
1st Prize: Benjamin Kim, USA2nd Prizes (shared): Hisako Kawamura, Japan; Marianna Shirinyan, ArmeniaWind Quintet
1st Prize: Quintette Aquilon, France2nd Prize: Quintett Chantily, Germany/Hungary/Russia/Finland3rd Prize: Weimarer Bläserquintett, GermanyOboe
1st Prize: Ramón Ortega Quero, Spain2nd Prize: Ivan Podyomov, Russia3rd Prize: Maria Sournatcheva, RussiaTrombone
1st Prize: Fabrice Millischer, France2nd Prize: Frederic Belli, Germany3rd Prize: Juan Carlos Matamoros, SpainPercussion
1st Prize: Johannes Fischer, Germany2nd Prize: Vassilena Serafimova, BulgariaPiano Trio
1st Prize: Tecchler Trio, Switzerland/Germany2nd Prize: Morgenstern Trio, Germany/France3rd Prize: Trio Cérès, FranceViola
2nd Prize: Wen Xiao Zheng, China3rd Prize: Teng Li, ChinaClarinet
1st Prize: Sebastian Manz, Germany3rd Prizes (shared): Shelly Ezra, Israel; Taira Kaneko, JapanBassoon
1st Prize: Marc Trénel, France2nd Prizes (shared): Christian Kunert, Germany; Philipp Tutzer, Italy3rd Prize: Václav Vonášek, Czech RepublicString Quartet
1st Prize: Apollon Musagete Quartett, Poland2nd Prize: Afiara String Quartet, Canada3rd Prizes (shared): Gémeaux Quartet, Germany/Switzerland; Verus String Quartet, JapanViolin
1st Prize: Hyeyoon Park, Korea2nd Prize: Kei Shirai, Japan3rd Prize: Lily Francis, USADouble Bass
1st Prize: Gunars Upatnieks, Latvia2nd Prize: Stanislau Anishchanka, Belarus3rd Prizes (shared): Olivier Thiery, France; Ivan Zavgorodniy, UkraineVoice
1st Prize: Anita Watson, Australia2nd Prize: Sunyoung Seo, Korea; Wilhelm Schwinghammer, Germany3rd Prize: Hye Jung Lee, Korea; Falko Hönisch, GermanyFlute
1st Prize: Loïc Schneider, France2nd Prize: Daniela Koch, Austria3rd Prize: Sooyun Kim, South Korea/USABR Klassik Prize: Ivannay Ternay, UkraineCello
1st Prize: Julian Steckel, Germany2nd Prize: Gen Yokosawa, Japan3rd Prize: Tristan Cornut, FranceHorn
1st Prize: Přemsyl Vojta, Czech Republic2nd Prizes (shared): Dániel Ember, Hungary; Paolo Mendes, GermanyPiano Duo
2nd Prize: Hyun Joo & Hee Jin June – Remnant Piano Duo, South Korea3rd Prize: Susan & Sarah Wang – DoubleWang Duo, USASpecial Prize: Pianoduo Groebner & Trisko, AustriaOboe
2nd Prizes (shared): Tondre, France, with Public Prize; Ivan Podyomov, Russia3rd Prize: Cristina Gómez Godoy, Spain; Marc Lachat, FranceOrgan
1st Prize: Schöch, Austria2nd Prize: Anna-Victoria Baltrusch, German3rd Prize: Lukas Stollhof, DutchTrumpet
1st Prize: Manuel Blanco Gómez-Limón, Spain2nd Prize: Alexandre Baty, France3rd Prize: Ferenc Mausz, Hungary, with Public PrizePiano
1st Prize: Alexej Gorlatch, Ukraine, with Public Prize2nd Prize: Tori Huang (Claire Huangci), USA3rd Prize: Da Sol Kim, South KoreaVoice (male)
2nd Prizes (shared): Dashon Burton, USA; Hansung Yoo, South Korea, with Public Prize3rd Prize: Kyubong Lee, South KoreaVoice (female)
1st Prize: Olena Tokar, Ukraine2nd Prizes (shared): Sumi Hwang, South Korea; Anna Sohn, South Korea3rd Prize: Sophia Christine Brommer, Germany, with Public PrizeClarinet
2nd Prizes (shared): Sergey Eletskiy, Russia; Stojan Krkuleski, Serbia, with Public Prize; Annelien Van Wauwe, BelgiumString Quartet
1st Prize: Armida Quartett, Germany, with Public Prize2nd Prize: Novus String Quartet, South Korea3rd Prize: Calidore String Quartet, USA/CanadaViolin
2nd Prizes (shared): Bomsori Kim, South Korea; Christel Lee, USA, with Public PrizeSpecial Prize of the Munich Chamber Orchestra: Diana Tishchenko, UkraineViola
1st Prize: Yura Lee, South Korea2nd Prize: Kyoungmin Park, South Korea, with Public Prize3rd Prize: Katarzyna Budnik-Gałązka, PolandPrize for the Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work: Adrien Boisseau, FranceSpecial Prize of the Henning Tögel Talent Foundation for Outstanding Talents: Lydia Rinecker, GermanyBassoon
2nd Prizes (shared): Sophie Dartigalongue, France, with Public Prize; Rie Koyama, Japan, with Prize for the Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work3rd Prize: María José Rielo Blanco, Spain, with BR-Klassik Online-PreisPiano Trio
2nd Prizes (shared): Van Baerle Trio, Netherlands, with Public Prize; Trio Karénine, France, with Prize for the Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work