Application Information

Carl Nielsen International Competition will take place in Odense on 8 – 16 June 2026. The flute competition is open for all nationalities under the age of 30 on the first day of the competition.

Applications opens 8 December 2025 and closes 1 February 2026

Application Process

The flute competition is open for all nationalities under the age of 30 on the first day of the competition. Flutists must be born on or after 8 June 1996.

The application must be completed and submitted online.

An application fee of USD 75 to be paid by credit card.

Applicants are required to complete an online application via the Acceptd platform. The application must include the following:

  • A copy of the applicant’s passport for verification of identity
  • A recent suitable portrait photo for reproduction (without copyright) – your photo should be at least 1000 × 1200 px
  • Three unedited video recordings of the works listed on the competition’s official website, recorded no more than six months before submission
  • A short CV/biography (maximum 800 characters)
  • A declaration of any prior education received from any members of the Jury
  • A selection of the pieces to be performed in all competition rounds and the final, chosen from the repertoire announced on the competition’s website (below).

The application deadline is 1 February 2026.
Only complete applications will be accepted.
The application fee is non-refundable.

Applicants will be notified in February/March 2026 whether they have been selected as one of the 24 contestants in the Carl Nielsen International Competition 2026. All communication will be by e-mail and will include a deadline for accepting the invitation. Sheet music for the commissioned piece will be sent as soon as possible after confirmation has been received from all contestants.

Selected contestants must confirm their participation by the deadline stated in their invitation.

In exceptional circumstances (force majeure), the General Manager may allow a late arrival to participate, provided they report in person no later than one day after the first round of the competition has begun.


Requirements for Pre-selection Recordings

 The selection of candidates for the Carl Nielsen International Competition will be based on the recordings uploaded for the pre-selection round, which will be judged anonymously by the Pre-Jury.

The video recordings must meet the following requirements:

  • Each video must be recorded in its entirety and without any cuts or editing
  • The video must be filmed from a fixed camera angle; the musician’s hands and face must remain fully visible at all times
  • High-quality sound is strongly recommended to provide the Pre-Jury with the best possible conditions for evaluation. Microphones should be placed at a distance that ensures good sound quality
  • Public recordings are accepted if they meet the conditions stated above
  • All recordings should be recent and made no more than six months before submission

Below are links to guidelines on video uploads from the Acceptd Support Team:

By submitting the application participants give consent to the recording of any audio and visual materials from their participation in the competition and its publication, typically in the news coverage of the competition or by media partners of the competition. Owners of such materials shall be Odense Symphony Orchestra and/or its media partners as the producer of such materials. If participants of the competition receive such audio/visual materials, they shall be obliged to use them only for personal, educational, non-commercial and non-public purposes.

Any radio or television broadcasts and recordings of competition performances shall be at the disposal of the Carl Nielsen International Competition and shall serve for the promotion of the competition. Any commercial use of these recordings shall be the subject of future negotiations.

Competition Repertoire

The competition repertoire stated by the participant in the application shall be binding and cannot be changed . Later changes or failure to comply with the mandatory repertoire shall form the grounds for disqualification. Participants must bring printed music with them and present it on demand.

The commissioned piece for the Carl Nielsen International Competition 2026 by Danish composer Louise Alenious shall be sent to the participants together with instructions on the course of the Competition. The composition may not be publicly performed or disclosed prior to the Competition.

For competition performances, the jury has the right to determine the order of compositions or of individual parts of compositions. Using illegal photocopies of sheet music for public performance is a violation of the copyright and the commercial rights of the publisher and the performers shall bear all liability for any legal sanctions.

Pre-selection repertoire:

1. Georg Philipp Telemann: from 12 Fantasias for Solo Flute, TWV 40:2–13. Choose one of the following:

a) No. 3
b) No. 9
c) No. 11
d) No. 12

2. Benjamin Godard: Valse (3rd movement) from Suite de trois morceaux, Op. 116

3. Siegfried Karg-Elert: Chaconne for Flute, Op. 107, No. 30

Download REPERTOIRE here

Competition Repertoire

1st ROUND

1) Choose between:

a) Herman D. Koppel: Capriccio for Flute and Piano, Op. 73 (Éditions Alphonse Leduc)
b) J. P. E. Hartmann: Sonata in B major, Op. 1 – I. Allegro vivace

2) Louise Alenius: Competition piece commissioned by the Carl Nielsen International Competition. Invited contestants will receive the score at a later date.

3) Johann Sebastian Bach. Choose one of the following:

a) Sonata in E-flat major, BWV 1031
b) Sonata in E minor, BWV 1034
c) Sonata in E major, BWV 1035

2nd ROUND

1) Claude Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Universal Flute Edition or Éditions Jobert)

2) Choose one of the following:

a) Luciano Berio: Sequenza I
b) Karl Aage Rasmussen: Pièce de concours
c) Yan Maresz: Circumambulation
d) Lowell Liebermann: Soliloquy, Op. 44
e) Michael Jarrell: Le point est la source de tout… (Épitomé II)
f) Fuminori Tanada: F
g) Philippe Hurel: Loops (for solo flute)

3) Choose one of the following:

a) Franz Schubert: Introduction, Theme and Variations on “Ihr Blümlein alle”, D. 802
b) Charles-Marie Widor: Suite, Op. 34
c) Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata in D major, Op. 94

3rd  ROUND / SEMIFINAL – without conductor

1) Any work for solo flute chosen by the candidate, maximum duration 6 minutes.

2) Choose one of the following concertos:

a) C. P. E. Bach: Flute Concerto in D minor, Wq 22 (H. 425)
b) C. P. E. Bach: Flute Concerto in G major, Wq 169 (H. 445)

FINAL ROUND

1) A. Mozart: Rondo in C major for Flute and Orchestra KV 373 161

2) Carl Nielsen: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, FS 119

APPLY HERE

[Application link opens 8 December 2026]

Gå til toppen

Obs!

 Ok, det er forstået!