The Carl Bechstein Competition aims to convey the joy of making music, to provide long-term support for young musicians and to reward outstanding achievements by young people.
The Carl Bechstein Foundation has been organising this competition for children and young people every year since 2014, alternating between solo and chamber music ensembles. After all, making music together is enormously enriching – it not only broadens musical horizons, but is also particularly enjoyable.
In 2025 the category ‘piano and one string instrument’ will be reinstated. The following string instruments are eligible: violin, viola, violoncello, double bass. The competition is open to young musicians who will not have reached the age of 18 on the closing date (7 November 2025) and who have been resident in Germany for at least six months.
All information about the admission requirements, the registration procedure, repertoire, prices etc. can be found in the subpages. Registration is only possible from the German version of the website.
The competition is open to young pianists, violinists, violists, cellists and double bassists who will not have reached the age of 18 on the closing date (7 November 2025) and who have been permanently resident in Germany for at least six months. Regular music students are excluded; young students are admitted. If the two members of a duo are of different age groups, the duo must compete in the age group of the older participant.
If the maximum audition time is exceeded, the jury is authorised to interrupt the performance.
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The repertoire must consist of at least two contrasting pieces from different stylistic periods. Individual movements, e.g. from a sonata, are also permitted. Both playing partners must have equal responsibilities. Concertos and other works accompanied by the orchestra are not allowed.
Note: There are special prizes for the best interpretations of works by different composers in all age groups.
No preparation of the grand piano or playing in the instrument with bare hands is permitted!
Two copies of the scores of all works played must be submitted to the jury before the audition without being asked. Candidates are free to play from memory or from sheet music.
The organiser of the competition, the Carl Bechstein Foundation, is authorized to record all events of the competition acoustically and visually and to use them for public documentation of the competition and for press work for the competition. In particular, the organiser reserves the right to authorise radio and television stations to broadcast, record and transmit all competition events. This shall not give rise to any claims for remuneration on the part of the participants.
The registration deadline for the competition is 31 August 2025.
Should more duos wish to register for the competition than can be admitted for organisational reasons, the order of registration will determine admission. We therefore recommend that you register in good time.
Registration is only possible in German.
Registration includes:
1) the correctly and fully completed registration form
2) a copy of the participant’s passport, child or identity card
3.) a current photo
4.) confirmation that the registration fee of 40 euros per duo has been paid into the account:
Carl Bechstein Stiftung
Volksbank Berlin
IBAN: DE83 1009 0000 2425 3390 12
BIC: BEVODEBB
Payment reference: Carl Bechstein Competition 2025, surname of both participants, one e-mail address
By registering, participants agree to the Conditions of the competition including the conditions of the competition procedure.
Wir bestätigen in der Regel innerhalb weniger Tage den Erhalt der vollständigen Anmeldeunterlagen. Sollten Bewerber*innen trotz vollständig eingereichter Unterlagen bis 14 Tage nach dem Verschicken keine Eingangsbestätigung erhalten haben, bitten wir um kurze Nachfrage.
AG I (up to 10 years)
1. Preis: 600 Euro per Duo
2. Preis: 400 Euro per Duo
3. Preis: 200 Euro per Duo
AG II (11 to 13 years)
1. Preis: 800 Euro per Duo
2. Preis: 600 Euro per Duo
3. Preis: 400 Euro per Duo
AG III (14 to 15 years)
1. Preis: 1.000 Euro per Duo
2. Preis: 800 Euro per Duo
3. Preis: 600 Euro per Duo
AG IV (16 to 17 years)
1. Preis: 1.200 Euro per Duo
2. Preis: 1.000 Euro per Duo
3. Preis: 800 Euro per Duo
Once again, a special prize of 300 euros per duo per age group will be awarded for the best interpretation of a self-chosen contemporary work composed after 1970.
Please note: Preparations of the grand piano and playing in the instrument with bare hands are not permitted!
The Fondation Hindemith has awarded a special Hindemith prize of 300 euros per duo in each of the age groups 3 and 4 for the most convincing interpretation of an original work by Paul Hindemith. The foundation, established by Paul Hindemith’s widow Gertrud in her will, is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the cultural legacy that exists in the musical and literary estate of Paul Hindemith.
The Friends and Sponsors of Schloss Britz are funding a concert with two prize-winning duos in age group 4 in January 2026 in the Kulturstall at Schloss Britz with a fee of 500 euros per duo.
The Funk Group offers a special prize in each of the age groups III and IV for the best interpretation of a rarely performed duo work by the following composers: Cécile Chaminade, Ernö Dohnanyi, Felix Draeseke, Gabriel Fauré, Alexander Glasunow, Fanny Hensel, Adolph von Henselt, Ignaz Moscheles, Joseph Joachim Raff, Carl H. Reinecke, Camille Saint-Saëns, Xaver Scharwenka, Jean Sibelius or Bedřich Smetana. The prize is endowed with 500 euros per duo.
The Neue Musikzeitung (nmz) is offering two special prizes of 500 euros per duo for the best interpretations of works by the composer Moritz Eggert (*1965). A list of works recommended by the composer can be downloaded here: >> Violin & Piano << and >> Cello & Piano << Please note: Preparations of the grand piano and playing in the instrument with bare hands are not permitted!
Bärenreiter-Verlag is once again supporting the Carl Bechstein Competition for Children and Young People by donating ‘Bärenreiter Urtext Prizes’ in the form of music vouchers totalling 1,000 euros.
Members of the Jury
The jury is formed of active musicians and music teachers who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of young musicians and who have particular experience in the field of chamber music.
Judging criteria
The evaluation is based only on the performance during the competition. The main criteria for the assessment are artistic interpretation, sound quality, playing technique, fidelity to the text, stylistic understanding and quality of ensemble playing. Playing from memory will not be especially valued.
The jury is not obliged to award all prizes. The decisions of the jury are final. There will be no recourse to legal action.
© Stefan Graef
Pianist Wei Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and received his first piano lessons at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, he was accepted as a junior student at the State University of Music in Freiburg and studied with Prof Andreas Immer and Prof Vitali Berzon. He completed his Diploma in Artistic Training and Master of Soloist programme at the Berlin University of the Arts with Prof. Sorin Enachescu. He has performed in major concert halls such as the National Music Hall in Taipei, the Town Hall in New York and the Laeisz-Halle in Hamburg. As a chamber music partner, he performs alongside pianist Pi-Hsien Chen, concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Leung Kinfung and cellist Richard Bamping, among others. As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan and the Bochum Symphony Orchestra. Wei Chen lives and performs in Berlin and has been head of the keyboard section at the Paul Hindemith Neukölln Music School since 2018.
© Thorsten Heideck
Michèle Yuki Gurdal comes from a Belgian-Japanese family and performed Joseph Haydn’s Piano Concerto in G major as a soloist with the Belgian Chamber Orchestra live on Belgian television at the age of 9. At the age of 17 she graduated from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in piano and chamber music. She went on to study with Professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hannover and Anatol Ugorski in Detmold. She was also a scholarship student at the prestigious ‘International Piano Academy Lake Como’. Her concert activities as a soloist and chamber musician have taken her throughout Europe, India, Canada and the USA. She has performed at the Ruhr Piano Festival with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, at the Tonhalle in Zurich and regularly as a chamber musician at the Berlin Philharmonie. She has recorded two CDs with violist Máté Szücs (Hänssler Classic) and, as a soloist, the complete Scriabin Etudes for Challenge Records. Her most recent recording with soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic was a co-production with Deutschland Radio Kammermusikwerke, featuring works by Théodore Dubois. Michèle Gurdal lives in Berlin.
© Michael Staab
Cellist Konstanze von Gutzeit is one of the most distinguished and versatile instrumentalists of her generation. As a soloist, chamber musician and principal cellist of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, she enjoys a lively and multi-faceted international artistic career. She won the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann 2010, the International Prague Spring Competition 2012, the International Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award in Switzerland and was awarded a scholarship by the German Music Council at the German Music Competition 2010. Konstanze von Gutzeit studied from the age of thirteen with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna and later with Jens Peter Maintz in Berlin and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt in Weimar. She also received important musical impulses from numerous master classes with David Geringas, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman and Ferenc Rados. Konstanze von Gutzeit has been principal cellist of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin since 2012. As a soloist she has performed with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Bochumer Sinfoniker, the Vienna, Munich and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the Brucknerorchester Linz and many others. She has worked with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Kurt Masur, Michael Sanderling, Alexander Shelley and Yuri Bashmet. She has performed at major festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein, Lucerne, Verbier and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals in numerous recitals and chamber music concerts.
© Neda Navaee
Violinist Johanna Staemmler studied at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin in the class of Prof Stephan Picard. Her solo studies were complemented by additional studies in chamber music and historical performance practice. Her intensive study of chamber music was supported by her mentors Prof Eberhard Feltz, Georg Faust, Jana Kuss, the members of the Artemis Quartet, Prof Günter Pichler, Prof Antje Weithaas and Prof Tabea Zimmermann. Johanna Staemmler is a founding member of the Armida Quartet. Since winning first prize and numerous special prizes at the ARD Competition in 2012, the quartet has performed internationally at renowned festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the Rheingau Music Festival. Their concert tours have taken them to the major concert halls of Europe, Asia and America, and the Armida Quartet’s discography includes numerous recordings of a wide range of repertoire. Their string quartet album ‘Mozart-Vol. IV’ was awarded the prestigious OPUS Klassik in the chamber music recording category. As a chamber musician, Johanna Staemmler regularly performs with renowned musicians such as Jörg Widmann, Tabea Zimmermann, Kit Armstrong and Martin Fröst. Since 2012 she has been teaching regularly, giving international masterclasses and being a member of juries at music competitions. She has served as musical advisor for the new edition of the Mozart string quartets published by G. Henle. Johanna Staemmler runs her own chamber music seminar, has been appointed visiting professor at the University of the Arts and teaches chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. Johanna Staemmler is also Artistic Advisor of the Rostock Bach Festival since 2022.
© Irene Zandel
Pianist William Youn has established an international reputation. His playing is characterized by subtlety, clarity, emotional depth and sensitive analysis. His wide-ranging repertoire includes recitals, chamber music and orchestral works by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninov, as well as contemporary music – a versatile and creative artist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for interpretation and discovery with colleagues and audiences. William Youn performs worldwide, from Berlin to Seoul to New York, with renowned orchestras and is a welcome guest at international festivals. In addition to his solo career, he is active in chamber music and regularly performs with violist Nils Mönkemeyer and clarinettist Sabine Meyer. William Youn has released numerous award-winning CDs. In November 2022 he completed his three-part recording of the complete Schubert piano sonatas for Sony Classical, which has been hailed by the international press as a “recording of the century” (Crescendo). He has also recorded the complete Mozart sonatas on five albums for Oehms Classics. Born in Seoul, William Youn discovered the piano in kindergarten and moved to Boston in the USA at the age of 13 to study at the New England Conservatory. Five years later, he transferred to the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and received further musical impetus as a scholarship holder at the Piano Academy Lake Como, among others. As a member of the board of trustees, he is involved in the Wilhelm Kempff Cultural Foundation in Positano, where he also teaches regularly.
All auditions are open to the public and free of charge.
Admission to the prizewinners’ concert on November 9, 2025 at 15:30 is 15 Euro \/ reduced 10 Euro. Tickets will be available the same day at the box office in the Kulturstall at Schloss Britz. Prizewinners performing at the concert will receive up to two free tickets for close relatives.
The competition organizer has the right to make audio and video recordings of all competition events and to use them for public documentation of the competition as well as for the competition’s public relations. In particular, the organizer reserves the right to authorize radio and television stations to broadcast, record and transmit all events of the competition. This does not give rise to any claims for compensation on the part of the contestants.
Three rehearsal rooms are available in the neighboring Paul Hindemith Music School. All participants will be given a fixed time slot before their competition in which they can use the rooms.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide any additional rooms, in particular no preparation time on the competition grand piano.
From the end of October 2025, the program booklet with the schedule of the Carl Bechstein Competition 2025 can be downloaded here as pdf.
