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Record number of applications
The competition’s worldwide standing is endorsed yet again this year by the record number of applicants. More then 700 applications from 58 nations were received for this year’s contest, in the categories Wind Quintet, Vocal, Oboe and Cello.
Following a preliminary selection process, a total of 312 candidates were invited to come to Munich to participate in the competition. The ARD Music Competition’s international reputation is also evident from the high proportion of participants from countries outside Germany (86 % this year). The contestants will be assessed by a jury comprising top-flight international musicians, including Waltraud Meier, Maximilian Hornung, Krassimira Stoyanova, Ramón Ortega Quero and Francisco Araiza.
Many prizes – extensive media coverage
The prize-money pot this year, including the many special prizes, totals € 180,000.00. Other awards carry non-cash benefits such as recording and performance opportunities. The lucky prizewinners can look forward to a busy concert schedule with top-drawer international orchestras, including the ARD’s own ensembles.
Even those who do not win a top prize will benefit substantially from their experience, not least due to the impressive media presence at the competition. The Bavarian broadcasting company BR alone will feature the competition in 60 hours of live programmes on radio, TV and online. Other regional ARD broadcasters around Germany and Deutschlandradio will feature reporting and recordings. Over and above all that, the ARD Mediathek at www.ard-klassik.de will be giving access to the concert videos from the semi final onwards, giving viewers the opportunity to see the contestants perform again. Then there is a special report from the competition entitled “Feuertaufe der Klassik-Youngsters – Der 73. Musikwettbewerb der ARD”, showcasing this “baptism of fire for the young classical musicians”, to be broadcast on September 22, 2024 at 11.50 pm German time on TV channel 1.
Final Concert in 2025 conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Rattle, Principal Conductor of Bavarian Radio’s Symphony Orchestra and the BR Choir, has committed to conducting the prizewinners’ final concert in 2025 as a top priority in his schedule. Rattle emphasized the continuing importance of the competition: “This is after all where we find the musicians of tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to conducting the Final Concert of the ARD Music Competition.”
The ARD Music Competition
The ARD International Music Competition, which takes place every year in September, was founded in 1952 by the broadcasting stations of the Federal Republic of Germany and is managed by Bavarian Radio in Munich. Winning a prize at the ARD International Music Competition was for many a now world famous musician the first step on their career: Jessye Norman, Francisco Araiza, Natalia Gutman, Christoph Eschenbach, Mitsuko Uchida, Thomas Quasthoff, Yuri Bashmet, Christian Tetzlaff, Sharon Kam, Heinz Holliger, Peter Sadlo, Maurice André and the Ebène Quartet, to name but a few.
Since 2001, thanks to the commissioning of works from well known living composers, contemporary music has also been afforded a higher profile.
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