Bow at the ready
Record Number of Applications for the 11th International LOUIS SPOHR Competition
The 11th International LOUIS SPOHR Competition | Young Violinists at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar has reported a record number of applications. A total of 251 young violinists from more than 40 countries around the globe have applied for the violin competition, which will take place in October and November 2026. A three-member jury will now select a total of 60 participants (20 per category) via video screening.
From October 29 to November 7, these top young violinists, aged 7 to 21, will then compete for prizes in three rounds of judging. In addition to works by the competition’s namesake, Louis Spohr, the diverse repertoire ranges from Bach, Beethoven, and Paganini to contemporary compositions. Depending on their age category, the finalists will perform violin concertos by Mozart, Bruch, or Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The final round will be accompanied by the Weimar Music University Orchestra.
Prizes and special awards totaling more than 17,000 euros are up for grabs. At the winners’ concert on November 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the Weimarhalle, the winners will perform with the Jena Philharmonic.
“We can look forward to ten days during which Weimar will become the center of the international violin scene for young talent,” says the jury chair and Weimar violin professor, Dr. Friedemann Eichhorn. “It is very moving to see the natural ease and dedication with which these young people bring their music to life on stage and make it a tangible experience for the audience. And it fills us with joy and pride that many former prize winners and competition participants are now active on international stages.”
Since its founding in the 1990s, the Weimar Spohr Competition has developed into one of the most internationally renowned venues for young instrumentalists. The young violinists test their skills, meet like-minded peers, and forge connections and friendships. Former prize winners have gone on to achieve success at the ARD Music Competition, the “Leopold Mozart” Competition, and the Tchaikovsky Competition. Many of them now hold important positions in orchestras, such as concertmaster of the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, or the Philharmonia Orchestra London.
Louis Spohr was the German Paganini, a true virtuoso violinist. And not only that: Spohr (1784–1859) also composed as fast as the wind, writing nearly 300 works that are frequently found on the music stands of violinists around the world. The fifteen violin concertos, ten symphonies, thirty-six string quartets, and numerous operas and oratorios by this versatile concertmaster, conductor, music festival organizer, and educator are an indispensable part of the repertoire. Spohr worked as a musician and conductor in Gotha, Erfurt, and Nordhausen—thereby writing an important chapter in Thuringian music history.
Further information: www.hfm-weimar.de/spohr
[30 June 2026]