A Thrilling Music-Comedy Show
Opening Concert of the 17th Carl Bechstein National Competition for Practical Piano Performance in Schools
It’s a welcome return for a true standout: Florian Wagner’s spectacular performances at the Schupra Competition ten years ago remain unforgettable. Now the 2016 Grand Prize winner will perform the opening concert of the 17th Carl Bechstein National Competition for Practical Piano Performance in Schools on Thursday, May 7 at 8:00 p.m. in the Saal Am Palais. Tickets are 20 euros, or 15 euros with a discount, and are available at the Weimar Tourist Information Office as well as at the box office.
Pianist and entertainer Florian Wagner presents his third solo program, titled “The Flo Must Go On.” The audience can expect new songs that are sometimes political, sometimes silly, sometimes profound, but always tongue-in-cheek, along with new virtuoso piano arrangements and “a funny joke roughly halfway through the second half.” From Mozart to Billy Joel, from Bach to Helene Fischer: Florian Wagner draws on many musical styles and blends them into a varied and rousing music-comedy show.
Florian Wagner is known for the successful music-comedy duo “Ass-Dur.” Additionally, his series “How Classical Composers Would Have Written Well-Known Songs” has garnered millions of views online. “Florian Wagner is now firmly established in the German piano cabaret scene,” says the organizational director of the Schupra Competition, Prof. Cornelius Mack. “He impresses in his witty and fresh program with his musical breadth and high virtuosity.”
The 17th Carl Bechstein National Competition for Practical School Piano Performance will take place from May 7 to 10, 2026, in the Saal Am Palais at the Weimar Music University. There, aspiring music teachers will showcase their astonishingly versatile skills on the piano and with their voices. A jury will determine whose skills on the concert grand piano—in free improvisation, song performance, and sight-reading—are the most outstanding during three public rounds of judging.
The competition concludes on Sunday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. with a concert by the prize winnersin the Saal Am Palais. Admission to the judging rounds and the final concert is free.
The “Schupra” competition has been held for more than 30 years. This marks the second time it is taking place with the generous support of the CARL BECHSTEIN FOUNDATION. The foundation’s mission is to promote piano music and piano playing on a broad scale. Support is provided to projects and institutions that introduce children and young people to the piano at an early age and motivate them to continue playing in the long term.
The organizer of the competition is the Weimar Music University in cooperation with the Federal Association of Music Education (BMU).
Further information: www.hfm-weimar.de/schupra
[28 April 2026]