Carl Nielsen International
Chamber Music Competition 2023

for String Quartet & Wind Quintet

Copenhagen 12th - 16th April

Scroll to see repertoire, rules, prizes etc.

Welcome

Music is life and like it inextinguishable, Carl Nielsen writes in the introduction to his fourth symphony. His brilliant compositions have since substantiated this postulate, and his symphonic works have become part of the repertoire of modern symphony orchestras.

In addition to the symphonic works, Carl Nielsen wrote instrumental concerts, chamber music, piano pieces, operas, choral works and many popular songs. Among his chamber music works, the string quartets and the wind quintet form the nucleus – the latter being a central part of the international core repertoire for wind quintets.

Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition for String Quartet & Wind Quintet is established to create more focus on the brilliant chamber music works of Carl Nielsen by letting it be interpreted by the best young musicians from all over the world. We are looking forward to welcoming young talented ensembles in 2023 for the 3rd edition of the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition.

Uffe Savery
President
Svend Larsen
Chief Executive
Kim Bohr
Chief Executive and Artistic Advisor
Danish National Orchestras & Choirs
DR Koncerthuset

Rounds & Repertoire

Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition 2023 has 3 rounds.
Each round takes place at different venues and all rounds are open to the public. (The preliminary round consists of video screening and is described under RULES/application). 

Round 1, Wind Quintet: Wednesday 12th April at DR Koncerthuset, Studio 2
Round 1​, ​​​​​​String Quartet: Thursday 13th April at DR Koncerthuset, Studio 2

Round 2, Wind Quintet: Friday 14th April, The Royal Library, The Queen's Hall
Round 2, String Quartet: Saturday 15th April, The Royal Library, The Queen's Hall

Finale, Wind Quintet & String Quartet: Sunday 16th April, The Royal Danish Academy of Music, the Concert Hall

Round 1

Wind Quintet: Wednesday 12th April
String Quartet: Thursday 13th April

DR Koncerthuset, Studio 2

String Quartet

  1. A string quartet by Joseph Haydn to be chosen from op. 74 or 76 or 77.
  2. 1st and 2nd mov. from a string quartet by Carl Nielsen, to be chosen from: op. 13 in G minor, or op. 5 in F minor, or op. 14 in e flat major or op. 44 in F major.

Wind Quintet

  1. 1st movement from either Paul Taffanel: Wind quintet in G minor (1876) or Otto Mortensen: Wind quintet (1944).
  2. Two movements from Franz Danzi: Wind quintet in B flat Major or G minor or F Major.
  3. Prelude & Theme with Variations from Carl Nielsen: Wind quintet, op. 43 (1922) free download of facsimile edition

Round 2

Wind Quintet: Friday 14th April
String Quartet: Saturday 15th April

The Royal Library, The Queen’s Hall

String Quartet

  1. An unpublished work (+/- 10 min.), written specially for the 2019 Competition by a student of composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. The work will be provided to the ensembles one month before the competition starts.
  2. A string quartet chosen from among those by Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvorák, Smetana, Grieg and Sibelius.
  3. A string quartet chosen from among those by Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Shostakovich or Rued Langgaard: String Quartet no. 2 BVN 145 or String Quartet no. 3 BVN 183 or Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet no. 2 op. 47 or String Quartet no. 8 op. 87.

Wind Quintet

  1. An unpublished work (+/- 10 min.), written specially for the 2019 Competition by a student of composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. The work will be provided to the ensembles one month before the competition starts.
  2. Paul Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik op. 24 or György Ligeti: 6 Bagatellen
  3. One movement from Arnold Schönberg: Quintet op. 26 or two movements from Kalevi Aho: Wind Quintet no.1 or no. 2

Finale

String Quartet & Wind Quintet, 16th April

The Royal Danish Academy of Music, The Concert Hall

String Quartet

  1. A string quartet by Carl Nielsen to be chosen from op. 13 in G minor,or op.5 in F minor, or op.14 in e flat Major or op. 44 in F Major.
  2. A string quartet by Beethoven to be chosen from op. 59, op. 127, op. 130, op. 131, op. 132, op. 135
    or Schubert: String quartet no. 14 in d minor, D 810, Death and the Maiden
    or Schubert: String quartet no. 15 in G major, D 887.

Wind Quintet

  1. A work of the ensemble’s choice
  2. Jean Françaix: Wind quintet no. 1 or Jørgen Jersild: At spille I skoven, Serenade
  3. Carl Nielsen: Wind quintet, op. 43
    free download of facsimile edition

General remarks

  1. Ensembles are expected to treat each performance as a concert.
  2. The jury will look at each performance as a whole.
  3. Repeats are left to the discretion of the ensembles, but they must take these into account in working out the timing of their programmes.
  4. Ensembles may not include own compositions.
  5. Due to the timing of the different rounds the jury may choose between works or leave out certain movements. The ensembles will get to know the day before the next round.

Rules

1 Participants age

The competition is open to string quartets and wind quintets of all nationalities. 

By the beginning of the competition (12th April 2023):

The combined ages of the string quartet must not exceed 120 years.
The combined ages of the wind quintet must not exceed 150 years.
The age of any individual ensemble member must not exceed 35 years.

2 Application

Application is open on carlnielseninternational.dk from the 1st October 2022 and applications must be received by 22nd November, 2022.
Registration is definitive only when the online form is duly filled in. The following is required in the online formular:

  1. Application fee of €100 paid by credit card during the online application procedure. The application fee is non-refundable.
  2. High res photo of the ensemble.
  3. Proof of age (identity card/passport of all members of the ensemble).
  4. Short biography of the ensemble (career, education, principal teachers, 100-150 words in English).
  5. An unedited video-recording with the ensemble (of at least 8 min.) Link to youtube or vimeo in the online application. Free repertoire choice.

 

3 Application response

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application medio December 2022.
Max. 20 ensembles will be selected by the pre jury.
The pre jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

4 Rounds

The competition has three rounds plus one preliminary round consisting of online video screening.
All three rounds are open to the public.
A maximum of 6 ensembles in each category will be admitted to the second round.
A maximum of 3 ensembles in each category will be admitted to the final round.

6 Media rights

All competition rounds may be:

  1. Recorded, broadcast and streamed or made available for podcast
  2. Photographed
  3. Published on Social Media channels and on carlnielseninternational.dk a.o.

In these cases, competitors disclaim all rights and fees.

7 Jury

The jury and pre jury consist of prominent musicians who have solid experience performing in a string quartet or wind quintet.

8 Prize reservations

The jury reserves the right:
A) to not award one or more prizes
B) to divide a prize between two competitors.
The jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

9 Travelling expenses

Travelling and hotel expenses must be borne by the ensembles.

10 Disclaimer

These rules were originally written in Danish. Any point of dispute will be settled within accordance with the Danish version of the rules. Subject to changes. errors and omissions excepted.

Jury

String Quartet

Clive Greensmith, Chairman
Cello, Tokyo String Quartet (1999 - 2013) Professor, Cello and Chamber Music Faculty, Colburn School

Marie Chilemme
Viola, Quatuor Ébène

Gunvor Sihm
Violin, Nightingale String Quartet & Danish National Symphony Orchestra

Sergei Bresler
Violin, Jerusalem String Quartet 

Marie Bitlloch
Cello, Elias String Quartet

Wind Quintet

Andreas Sundén, Chairman
Principal Clarinet, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Clarinet Professor, Royal College of Music, Stockholm & Ingesund School of Music, Sweden

Frøydis Ree Wekre
French Horn, Professor emeritus, Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo

Ulla Miilmann
Principal Flute, Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Associate Professor, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen

Olivier Stankiewicz
Principal Oboe, London Symphony Orchestra & Professor, Royal College of Music, London

Ole Kristian Dahl
Principal Bassoon, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra & Professor, University of Music and Performing Arts, Mannheim

 

 

 

Prizes

String Quartet

1st prize €15,000

2nd prize €10,000

3rd prize €5,000

Best performance of the commissioned work €2,500

Wind Quintet

1st prize €15,000

2nd prize €10,000

3rd prize €5,000

Best performance of the commissioned work €2,500

Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition for String Quartet and Wind Quintet 2023 is supported by:

The Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Foundation

Contact:
Marie Rørbech
Project Manager
mrrb@dr.dk

Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition
c/o DR
Emil Holms Kanal 20, opg.5-3
DK-0999 Copenhagen C
Denmark