This year the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) is again organising the prestigious International Leoš Janáček Competition in Brno. Young musicians will perform on the piano and organ at the 28th edition of this competition. The final rounds of the organ competition will take place in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and in the Besední dům in the piano competition, accompanied by the Czech Virtuosi Orchestra under the direction of conductor Stanislav Vavřínek.
The international performance competition, which bears the name of composer Leoš Janáček, aims to find young talented artists. Performers up to 35 years of age from all over the world come to Brno and are evaluated by an international jury. In five-year cycles, the disciplines of string quartet, violin, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, horn, tuba and this year piano and organ are regularly rotated.
Twenty-four organists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, France, Croatia, and the Republic of Korea decided to showcase their talent by entering the competition. From the selection round, which took place for the first time in the competition’s history, 20 competitors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Romania, Japan, Ukraine, the Republic of Korea, and Russia advanced in the piano field.
"The Leoš Janáček International Competition is a gathering of young talents from all over the world that revives the legacy of a true hero: Leoš Janáček is the most performed opera composer in the world today, yet he had to withstand the prejudices of competitors in his time. This year, the competition is motivating pianists and organists to be as proud of their talent as Janáček was and to take on the daunting challenge of performing in front of an international panel that judges their performances. We can look forward to youthful interpretative approaches to the repertoire in this year’s two categories: piano and organ. In addition to the final concert at the Besední dům, an interesting feature will be the opportunity to hear the large Mathis organ in the Jesuit Church of the Assumption," invites the Dean of the JAMU Faculty of Arts, Prof. Barbara Maria Willi, Ph.D.
The jury for the piano competitors will be chaired by Prof. Håkon Austbø from Norway, and the jury for the organ will be chaired by Prof. Johannes Ebenbauer from Austria. In addition to the title of laureate, the winners of the competition will also receive the traditional financial awards of one hundred thousand Czech crowns (1st prize), seventy thousand Czech crowns (2nd prize) and forty thousand Czech crowns (3rd prize). The winner among the pianists can also look forward to their own concert matinee at the Janáček Brno Festival 2022, and the winner in the organ field will get the opportunity to perform at concerts at the Brno Organ Festival 2023 and the Festival For the Treasures of Broumov Region 2023.
"I believe that this year’s competition will also offer an extraordinary musical experience. I wish the young artists as little stage fright as possible and, on the contrary, a bit of adrenaline, without which a quality performance cannot do without. I am delighted with the growing popularity of the competition, where the stage in the Moravian capital in conjunction with the composer Leoš Janáček is becoming such an attraction for musicians from all corners of the world. That is why the South Moravian Region is pleased to support this competition with two million crowns provided for the entire five-year cycle of the competition," said the Deputy Governor for Culture and Heritage Care, Mgr. František Lukl, MPA.
The competition is held in three rounds in each field, which are open to the public free of charge. The first round in the field of organ will take place from 12-13 September 2022 in the Organ Hall of the Faculty of Music of the Academy of Performing Arts of the Jagiellonian University, the second round will take place on 15 September 2022 and the final round on 17 September 2022 at 2 p.m., both in the Jesuit Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
The pianists will have the first round on 13-14 September and the second round on 15-16 September in the Concert Hall of the JAMU Faculty of Music. The final third round of the piano specialisation will take place on Sunday, 18 September at 2 p.m. in the Besední dům in cooperation with the Czech Virtuosi Orchestra under the baton of Stanislav Vavřínek.
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