From May 8th to 13th, 2023, accordionists of various nationalities and countries met with their numerous friends for the 60th time for the traditional International Accordion Competition in Klingenthal and most sophisticated in the world can be counted. The maxims for action existed and still exist
• in the promotion of solo accordion playing for all age groups
• in the manifestation of the diverse possibilities of accordion music in solo and in ensemble
• in the practice of playing the solo accordion with a symphonic orchestra
• in the interpretation of chamber music for several accordions and in the interplay of the accordion with other musical instruments
• in presenting new compositions for the accordion
• in maintaining the exchange of experiences on the accordion and the bandoneon, on accordion and bandoneon music in the areas of music aesthetics and music education, but also on technical instrument building issues with local musical instrument manufacturers.
The organizers are to be congratulated that, despite all the difficulties and changes in various areas of our times, they have always carried out their program undeterred, so that Klingenthal has become a trademark in the international accordion world.
This year the jury was made up of famous teachers and artists such as Stefan Hussong, Andreas Nebl, Claudia Buder, Ulf Seifert, Stephan Bahr, Stefan Fraas (Germany), Na Song (China), Vladimir Blagojevic, Djordje Gajic (Serbia), Iñaki Alberdi (Spain), Grzegorz Stopa (Poland), Veli Matias Kujala (Finland), Werner Weibert (Austria), Jacques Mornet (France) and Raimondas Sviackevicius (Lithuania).
The festive opening was performed by the duo AMuse Arseniy Strokovskiy (accordion) and Michiru Soeda (violin) with works by Georg Katzer, Alfred Schnittke, Mikhail Bronner and Béla Bartók. Arseniy Strokovskiy was the first prize winner of the Klingenthal competition in 2016 and, after studying with Prof. Hussong, took up a position at the Würzburg University of Music. He gives concerts worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician.
The duo Nebl & Nebl (accordion / clarinet) has long been one of the protagonists for this line-up internationally. In their studio concert, they delighted the audience with works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Uroš Rojko, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Tapio Nevanlinna, Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach, Robert Schumann and Jürgen Ganzer.
As the winner of the "Premio Internazionale della Fisarmonica" in Castelfidardo, the Chinese Hang Ding was invited to a special concert in Klingenthal. The well-known Russian bayan artist Yuri Shishkin called him "a young artistic and musical talent with extremely high playing skills", which he impressively demonstrated with works by Olivier Messiaen, Ole Schmidt, Johann Sebastian Bach, Uroš Rojko, Domenico Scarlatti, Kahlevi Aho and Franz Liszt asked.
Under the direction of Professor Gero Schmidt-Oberländer, the SchuMu Big Band from the "Franz Liszt" Weimar University of Music and the accordion soloist Daniel Roth organized an entertaining evening with traditional jazz, swing, beat, Latin and much more in a big band sound.
As part of a discussion forum, an open panel discussion was held on the subject of “Focus on the present – where to go in the future”. Current topics for the development of the accordion were taken up:
• Training at music schools and universities internationally
• Development and access to new accordion literature and its structural understanding
• Competitions, festivals, etc. and their influence on the development of accordion culture
• New tuning systems - an experiment?
In the final concert of soloist category IV for accordion and symphonic orchestra, for which the four best soloists of the preliminary rounds traditionally qualify, this year Krzysztof Penderecki's "Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra" (arranged for accordion by the Polish accordionist Maciej Frąckiewicz) was on the program. The prizewinners' concert on the last day of competition at the 50th International Accordion Competition in Klingenthal was the gala performance of the winners of all competition categories. The final concert of soloist category IV for accordion and symphonic orchestra is a unique feature of the world-renowned competition. The prizewinners' concert was framed by the Vogtland Philharmonic Greiz/Reichenbach conducted by Dorian Keilhack. The importance of the International Accordion Competition in Klingenthal becomes particularly clear. Winners present their masterly skills and receive invitations to concerts all over the world.
The 61st International Accordion Competition Klingenthal from April 28th to May 4th 2024 will again be a lasting experience for the accordionists and all their friends. Advertisements and application documents can be requested from
International Accordion Competition Office
Schloßstraße 3 a, 08248 Klingenthal,
Telephone: +49 (0) 37467 23210
Fax: +49 (0) 37467 22275
e-mail: Intern.Akkordeonwettbewerb@t-online.de
Internet: www.accordion-competition.de
The winners of the 60th International Accordion Competition 2023:
Category I (soloists up to 12 years)
1. Liu Zixuan (China)
2. Zhang Yixuan (China)
3. Wang Haoyu (China)
Category II (soloists up to 15 years)
1. Futa Mizutani (Japan)
2. Viktor Stocker (Czech Republic)
3. Maria Atanasonaei (France)
Category III (soloists up to 18 years)
1. Jonas Vozbutas (Lithuania)
2. Luca Bello (Italy)
3. Huang Hanyu (China)
Category IV (soloists without age restrictions)
1. Denys Snihirov (Ukraine)
2. Mihail Cunetchi (Romania)
3. Ronja Mirandolina Ramisch (Germany)
Category V (chamber music)
1. Bukojemska & Majchrowski Duo (Poland)
2. Pliszka & Wajdzik Duo (Poland)
3. Unseen Trio (Lithuania)
Category VI (virtuoso light music)
1. Emanuele Viti (Italy)
2. Volodymyr Kashuta (Ukraine)
Category VII (World Music)
1. Stoyan Karaivanov (Bulgaria)
2. Liu Xiaoran (China)
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