Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition 2026
International Category
Rules
I
The Foundation for Music Promotion in Central Finland, Finnish Music Campus Institutions and Jyväskylä Sinfonia will organize the Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition in Jyväskylä February 24 – March 5, 2026. The competition is for pianists and their ensembles. The competition includes two categories. The international category will be held February 26 – March 5, 2026.
II
The international category is open to competitors aged 16 – 35 from all countries. Ensembles can be a piano trio (piano, violin, cello), a violin and piano duo or a piano duo either for four hands or two pianos. All ensemble types compete in the same category. The prizes for the category will be specified in the prize list. The Jury will have the right to award the prizes in some other way at their own discretion.
The competition is open to ensembles whose members’ ages on the first day of the competition are within the scope of the category. In case the ensemble does not have a name, piano duos will be named after the pianist whose surname comes first in alphabetical order. For other ensembles the name will be the surname of the pianist.
III
Applications are to be submitted online at www.kesmes.fi no later than 11:55 p.m. Finnish time on November 15, 2025. The Secretariat will send a confirmation of receipt of the application. If confirmation is not received, it is the applicant’s responsibility to verify that the application has arrived on time. In addition to their competition repertoire, ensembles must provide the Competition Committee with the sheet music for possible compositions of their own as well as photo of the ensemble and a short CV of no more than 300 words. When necessary, applicants must be able to prove their age.
The competition fee for ensembles in the international category is 90€ and is to be paid at the time the application is submitted. Applications are registered only after the fee has been received and the pre-selection video has been uploaded. The fee is non-refundable.
IV
For the pre-selection process each participant must upload a video according to the application instructions. The video must be at least 10 minutes long, and it must contain the first round’s repertoire in full or in part. Competitors will receive a notice of the pre-selection results by December 15, 2025. Thereafter an alphabetical list of the ensembles chosen for the competition will be published on the website of Foundation for Music Promotion in Central Finland (www.kesmes.fi).
The draw for the order of performances will be held on February 5, 2026 and the result will be sent to each competitor selected for the competition.
V
Repertoire:
1st round, no more than 25 min.
A classical work composed before 1830 in full or in part. Composers can be Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert as well as composers of the same period, e.g. Clementi, Dussek and Hummel.
2nd round, 45 – 55 min.
The program is optional, except the commissioned composition of up to 8 minutes for each type of ensemble. The commissioned composition will be sent to the competitors in November 2025, after the end of the registration period.
3rd round, Concerto finale with Jyväskylä Sinfonia, one of the following concertos:
Concertos for piano duo, performed at either one or two pianos:
Carl Czerny : Piano Concerto in C major for four hands and Orchestra, Op. 153, performed at either one or two pianos
(Public domain, https://www.musicaneo.com, Imslp.org)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for 2 pianos in E flat major, K 365
(Bärenreiter)
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor, FP 61
(Salabert Boosey Hawkes)
Concertos for violin and piano duo:
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Concerto for Violin and Piano in G Major Op.17
(Artaria AE439)
Bohuslav Martinu: Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, H.342
*(Jörg Metz, Tel. +49 561 3105-288, metz@baerenreiter.com)
Felix Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin, Piano & String Orchestra in D minor, MWVO4
*when contacting, tell about the participation in the Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition 2026
Triple concertos:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major, Op. 56
(Urtext Henle HN 610)
Alfredo Casella: Concerto for Piano, Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op 56
*(www.lmedtion.se/Pekka Mäenpää, +46-(0)70 564 2321 or asiamies.kesmes@gmail.com)
Bohuslav Martinu: Concerto for Piano Trio and String Orchestra, H. 231
*(www.lmedtion.se/Pekka Mäenpää, +46-(0)70 564 2321 or asiamies.kesmes@gmail.com)
*when contacting, tell about the participation in the Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition 2026
VI
Competition participants are responsible for their own travel, for their visas, accommodation and meals.
VII
Results are published at the end of each round. Eliminated applicants will be given verbal feedback if the schedule permits.
VIII
Competition performances are open to the public. The competition organizers have the unlimited right to photograph, record both audio and video, broadcast or post on the Internet the competitors’ performances, including the competitors’ own compositions. Taking photographs and making audio or video recordings without the authorization of the competition organizers is prohibited.
IX
The Jury has the right to cut short a performance that exceeds the allotted time. Exceeding the allotted time may result in disqualification.
X
In situations that are unclear, the Competition Committee will rule on possible disputes regarding the interpretation of rules or other competition-related issues.
XI
The competition organizers reserve the right to make changes.
XII
The original language of the rules is Finnish. Any issues due to translations will be settled on the basis of the Finnish text.