(You can download the entire brochure under this link.)
1. The Leipzig Bach Competition 2025 will be held in the category piano. The competition is open to the public and will take place in Leipzig from 13 to 21 March 2025.
2. The International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition expects participants to meet very high standards. They should have a confident stage manner and be experienced at performing in the historical style required by the Competition programme. It is expected that candidates use urtext editions or historical sources. A great number of manuscripts of Bach’s works can be found at www.bachdigital.de.
3. The Competition is open to pianists of any nationality who are at least 16 years old. The participants must have been born after March 21, 1992.
4. By applying for the competition, you agree to the competition rules. Applications for the competition may be submitted between September 15, 2024 and November 15, 2024 (23:59 CET) via Muvac at www.muvac.com.
a) The application consists of the following:
A video containing the required pre-selection programme
A scan of a birth certificate, passport or ID card
For degree holders: proof of musical training (diploma etc.)
For students: a letter from a teacher recommending participation in the Competition
Programme form
A portrait (300 dpi, portrait, at least 1080 x 1560 pixels)
Artistic curriculum vitae
b) Guidelines for the video recording:
The video must contain the preselection programme in the specified order.
The video must be recorded from a fixed camera position. The hands and feet must be visible.
The video must be recorded in one take. Cuts are not permitted, not even between works. Mistakes are permitted; they do not automatically lead to disqualification.
It is not permitted to submit older/existing recordings.
Please observe the online instructions to the letter. You must comply with these guidelines. No exceptions can be made!
The recording should be made in appropriate venues. High sound quality is expected.
Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Once applications have been verified, they shall be passed on to the selection jury.
5. The application fee is 100 euros. The application fee is to be remitted as part of the application on Muvac. If your application is rejected, the costs will not be refunded; if you are admitted to the competition, no further costs will be incurred. Please note that the application fee will not be refunded in the event that a participant withdraws from the Competition.
6. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 27. The selection jury shall choose entrants to participate in the Competition on the basis of the submitted videos. Successful entrants shall be notified in writing (e-mail) by the Competition office by Dezember 18, 2024. Applicants shall be entitled to participate in the Competition once they have received this notice.
7. Participants must organize and pay for all travel to and from the Competition as well as board and accommodation in Leipzig themselves. The Competition shall provide participants with practice rooms at no charge.
8. The organiser is entitled to make audio and video recordings of all performances and other events during the competition and to use these in connection with the competition, e. g. live streams of the competition auditions, photos of participants etc. The Bach Archive and the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) will record the performances in whole or in part and broadcast them live and/or at a later date (on radio and internet) and/or pass these recordings on to other broadcasters. Competition participants are not entitled to any remuneration for these recordings. Participants and their representatives are not allowed to record Competition rounds.
9. On arrival, Competition participants must report in person for registration on March 12, 2025 between 10am and 6pm. The Competition office will be in the Summer Hall of the Bach Archive / Thomaskirchhof 15/16 / 04109 Leipzig
The Competition consists of the first round, the second round and the final. The participants will appear in random order. This will be decided by drawing lots.
Every prizewinner and finalist must be present at the awards ceremony after the Final on Friday, March 21, 2025, in order to receive his or her award personally.
The prizewinners undertake to perform in the prizewinners’ concerts during Bachfest Leipzig 2025.
The prizewinners are entitled to use the title »Bachpreisträger« (Bach Prizewinner).
The winner of the 1st prize will perform a solo recital in the Great Hall of the Gewandhaus on 12 June 2025 as part of Bachfest Leipzig 2025. All three finalists will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Three Pianos and Orchestra in D minor, BWV 1063, in a »Grand Concert« by the Gewandhaus Orchestra on 19 June 2025 as part of Bachfest Leipzig 2025.
The jury shall decide on the award of grants, special prizes and concert engagements for participants. The decisions will be announced during the presentation of prizes. An audience award will be decided by public vote. All participants will receive a diploma documenting their achievement.
11. The Competition result shall be decided by the jury. The jury’s decision is always final. Legal recourse is excluded. The jury shall assess participants on the basis of the jury regulations which are published on www.bachwettbewerbleipzig.de. Jurors may not take part in the assessment of their own students. Assessment shall be carried out confidentially. After each round, jurors shall be available to talk to competitors who are not continuing to the next round as well as after the prizes have been announced. Competitors are forbidden from talking with jury members until after elimination or after the finals.
12. Regarding data privacy information, see: www.bach-leipzig.de/en/neutral/privacy-policy
After the end of the Competition, the application data will be deleted. The organiser is entitled to publish the email addresses of the finalists on www.bachwettbewerbleipzig.de and share them with media representatives.
13. The German text is legally binding.
Bach Competition Leipzig 2025
Member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, Genève
Artistic Director // Prof. Dr. Michael Maul Head of the Jury // Prof. Vanessa Latarche
Organizer // Leipzig Bach Archive Foundation
Director // Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Wollny CEO // Friederike Hofmeister
in cooperation with
Hochschule für Musik und Theater »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy« Leipzig
Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik Leipzig GmbH
Gewandhaus zu Leipzig
The Bach Competition is sponsored by the City of Leipzig, the Free State of Saxony and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and co-financed by public funds on the basis of the approved budgets.
Ww would like to thank all supporters and sponsors
Sparkasse Leipzig
Vereinigung der Freunde des Bach-Archivs Leipzig e. V.
Seaside Park Hotel Leipzig
