Applications Open for the "Pianos&Soul" Competition 

Hosted by the AMADEUS Festival Vienna and focusing on the genre of salon music, the grand prize winner will receive €5,000 and performance opportunities 

The AMADEUS Festival Vienna has announced its first International Salon Music Piano Competition “Pianos&Soul,” aimed to promote and support emerging musicians worldwide, plus highlight the genre of salon music.

Following the “Violins&Soul” edition in early 2023, the Festival’s piano edition is open to pianists aged between 15 and 35 as of December 31, 2024.

The grand prize winner will receive €5,000, and be appointed as a Bösendorfer-AMADEUS Young Artist, which involves opportunities valued at around €8,000.

Second prize includes €3,000, and a CD recording at the Bösendorfer Selection Room Wiener Neustadt, worth around €3,000; third place will receive €1,000, and will perform at either the Bösendorfer Hall or the Bösendorfer Salon.

Valued at €500, the public audience prize comprises a Bösendorfer Piano Factory tour, plus a Vienna tour in the footsteps of renowned musical figures.

For the initial screening round, candidates are expected to submit video recordings of themselves performing a selection of listed solo piano works from memory.

Dr. Wilson Goh, Patron of the competition, and Mrs. Karen Goh, Director of AMADEUS Festival Vienna, shared that they "have been noticing the gradual diminishing of presenting Salon Music in concerts."

"We've been asking ourselves: why is this music, which used to and continues to touch all of us, losing its presence in the very places where it used to move societies? It provides rich nutrients for the soul, yet it's gradually losing importance in our musical lives."

Selected candidates will be invited to a personal interview. The final round will be held on June 28, 2024, where finalists will be chosen for the 2024 “Pianos&Soul” competition.

The application period will be open from January 8 until March 11, 2024. To apply, click here.