Young musicians arriving in Prague from all over the world

98 young musicians from 23 countries will be arriving in Prague at the beginning of May to take part in the Prague Spring International Music Competition, which this year focuses on the bassoon and clarinet. We now have the results of the preliminary round, during which renowned Czech musicians selected those who will be invited to Prague.

Selections were made on the basis of video recordings sent in by the candidates; in order to preserve anonymity the committee listened to the soundtrack alone, while a staff member of the competition secretariat watched the image on screen to verify that the given recording was not edited and that the performer and applicant were one and the same. “I think our ears served us very well – the competition will certainly be of a very high standard. We’ve all got something to look forward to,” stated clarinetist Vlastimil Mareš after the preliminary round.

169 young musicians from 34 countries entered the bassoon competition; based on the results of the preliminary round, 50 players from 19 countries will be invited to Prague. Three musicians will represent the Czech Republic.

215 talented musicians from 36 countries sent in their application form for the clarinet discipline. 48 musicians from 17 countries will now receive invitations to Prague. Five clarinetists will be representing the Czech Republic.

The three rounds of the competition will take place between 8 and 14 May. All the rounds are open to the public; the final rounds traditionally attract greatest interest, where competitors are accompanied by a symphony orchestra in the Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall.