110 participants at the competition for cello and double bass 2023

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Deep string sounds will fill the music town of Markneukirchen for 10 days from today, Thursday. After weeks of intensive preparation, a total of 110 participants will demonstrate their great virtuosity, technical skills and musical expressiveness on the violoncello or double bass at the 58th International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen.

The competition is celebrating a special anniversary, as it was held for the first time 50 years ago in the violoncello category. To the special delight of the organisers, one of the jurors, Prof. Josef Schwab from Germany, can also be welcomed to the competition this year, after he was already present at the first edition in Markneukirchen.

Until 12 May, the competition will be held over three rounds and a final round with orchestra. Of the 178 participants admitted, 63 in the category violoncello and 47 in the category double bass, aged between 13 and 29 years, have arrived. Due to the high number of registrations in the violoncello section, 10 participants were not invited to the competition in advance as part of a pre-selection by the jury. The young musicians come from 26 countries from 3 continents - among them most from Germany (18), South Korea (14) and China (12).

First, all the young musicians will present themselves to the two expert juries in the first round with a 20-minute programme. The violoncello participants will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Luigi Boccherini, Györgi Ligeti and Max Reger. Right at the beginning of the competition days, the jury will have the special task of deciding on the awarding of the Reger Prize donated by the Max Reger Institute and endowed with 1,000 euros. Johann Sebastian Bach is also on the programme for the double bass participants in the first round. In addition, solo works by Édouard Nanny and Emil Tabakov are to be performed.

The competition will take place in the Musikhalle Markneukirchen for the violoncello and in the reopened Old Castle in Erlbach for the double bass. The competition starts at 9.00 a.m. on Friday. Visitors are welcome to attend the auditions. The International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen will continue until 13 May.

The competition days in 2023 will also be accompanied by an attractive supporting programme prepared by the Markneukirchen Symphony and Wind Orchestra, the Musical Instrument Museum, master craftsmen and other institutions in the town. Of course, the competition itself is also open to all guests in the Markneukirchen Music Hall and the Old Castle in Erlbach.