About us

The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition of Utrecht (the Netherlands) has a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, and is also known for the thorough and professional support it offers young musicians. The Competition is devoted entirely to the piano works of Franz Liszt. This exclusive approach and the Competition’s programme of extensive career support, as well as the many international concert engagements it makes possible for its Prize winners, have given the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition an entirely unique profile within the landscape of international music competitions.

The Liszt Competition is a gruelling task for the participants, and so the organisation makes every effort to ensure that participating in the Competition does not become more of a burden than it already is on the young pianists (ages 17 to 29). Everyone involved in the Competition, and especially the host families with whom the participants stay, offers the participants a friendly and hospitable reception and helps create the atmosphere that gives the Competition its ‘difficult-but-human’ reputation.

For a period of more than two years the Liszt Competition will represent the Prize winners in the Netherlands as well as abroad as part of their career development programme. In addition to numerous engagements in the Netherlands, Prize winners are also offered an extensive series of concerts around the globe. Laureates of the Liszt Competition have already played on all continents.

Previous winners include Martyn van den Hoek, Gregorio Nardi (1986), Enrico Pace, Wibi Soerjadi (1989), Sergey Pashkevich (1992), Igor Roma (1996), Yundi Li, Masaru Okada (1999), Jean Dubé (2002), Anton Salnikov, Yingdi Sun (2005), Nino Gvetadze and Vitaly Pisarenko (2008).

Since 1986 a great number of world-famous musicians and teachers have been members of the International Jury, including Lazar Berman, France Clidat, Arnaldo Cohen, Andrzej Jasínski, Cyprien Katsaris, Louis Kentner, Mikhail Voskresensky, and Earl Wild.

The Liszt Competition regularly organizes International Piano Masterclasses with prominent pianists and piano teachers such as Earl Wild, Andrea Bonatta, Oxana Yablonskaya, Dmitry Bashkirov, Dominique Merlet, Jacques Rouvier and Dr. Leslie Howard. These masterclasses have already taken place in Utrecht but also in New York, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul.