Shirley Brill
Chair of the Jury
Shirley Brill’s career was launched with a solo performance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta. She has since performed with various orchestras as the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester and Hamburger Symphoniker in such halls as the Berliner and Kölner Philharmonie.
Ms. Brill is the winner of the Geneva International Competition in Switzerland.
She has performed at the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Radio France Festival, Schubertiade in Austria and the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival.
Ms. Brill has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Janine Jansen, Sabine Meyer, Emmanuel Pahud, Tabea Zimmermann and Trio di Clarone. Together with her Duo partner Jonathan Aner, Ms. Brill has received for her ROOTS CD the OPUS KLASSIK Award 2024 in the Chamber music category.
Shirley Brill was the principal clarinetist of Daniel Barenoim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
Shirley Brill was a guest professor at the Academy of Music “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin and a faculty member at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Between 2018 and 2021, Ms. Brill has been appointed Professor of Clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany. Since 2021 she is the Professor of Clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg, Germany.
Yehuda Gilad
Member of the Jury
A teacher, instrumentalist and conductor, Yehuda Gilad strives for “total musicianship,” and as a result, he has won the acclaim of both critics and audiences alike. His unique and transformative methods have solidified him as one of the most sought-after mentors in the entire world.
He serves as Professor of Clarinet at the Colburn School’s Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, and Community School of Performing Arts, where he has shaped one of the premier clarinet programs in the world. As Music Director of the Colburn Orchestra and a founder of the Colburn Conservatory, he has played a defining role in shaping its artistic vision and cultivating its reputation as a leading institution for musical excellence.
Yehuda Gilad also holds a faculty appointment at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and is a Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, extending his influence across continents. He has mentored generations of clarinetists who now hold hundreds of positions in leading orchestras, chamber ensembles, and academic institutions around the world.
His students are frequent prize winners at the most prestigious international competitions, a testament to his uncompromising dedication to excellence and his ability to cultivate musicians of exceptional artistry, versatility, and leadership.
Nicola Jürgensen
Member of the Jury
Nicola Jürgensen was principal clarinet with WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne from 2001 to 2018.
After winning the German Music Competition in 1999, she got invited as soloist of numerous German (DSO Berlin, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin among others) as well as international orchestras (f.e. Vienna Chamber, Orchestra, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra).
As a sought after chamber musician, she appeared in the international festivals of Lockenhaus, Risør and „Spannungen Festival“ Heimbach.
In 2018 she received an appointment as professor for clarinet at Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen and since then made herself known a successful educator, her students winning positions and academies in orchestras like Bavarian State Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra,Theater Orchestras of Essen, Darmstadt, Rostock and Gärnerplatztheater Munich.
Nicola Jürgensen is giving international masterclasses and is woodwind section coach for the German National Youth Orchestra (BJO) and the German National Student Orchestra (Junge Deutsche Philharmonie“) and has been serving in numerous international competition juries.
Han Kim
Member of the Jury
Praised as “a master of tone” for his “extraordinary command of his instrument” (New York Classical Review), Han Kim is one of the leading clarinettists of his generation.
Appointed by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, Kim is the principal clarinettist of Opéra national de Paris, serving as the first and only Asian principal in the orchestra’s 350-year history.
Recognised for his talent as a soloist since his debut at 11, Kim has performed with leading orchestras such as the LA and Seoul Philharmonic and SWR, Finnish Radio and KBS Symphony, under the baton of renowned maestros such as Marek Janowski, Manfred Honeck and Hannu Lintu. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Kim performed at Heidelberg Spring Music Festival, Pablo Casals Festival and Tongyeong International Music Festival, collaborating with artists such as Seong-jin Cho, Igor Levit and Arto Noras. He is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program from 2027.
Kim consistently collaborates with contemporary composers. His highlights include the West-coast premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Clarinet Concerto and Brett Dean’s ‘Ariel’s Music.’
Kim is the winner of the 2nd prize and the audience award at the 68th ARD International Music Competition in Munich. In 2021, he was selected as the Artist-in-Residence at Kumho Art Hall in Korea.
Kim completed his studies with honors at Musikhochschule Lübeck with Sabine Meyer.
John Kruse
Member of the Jury
John Kruse is solo clarinettist of the Royal Danish Orchestra. He was appointed in 2005 after 16 years as solo clarinettist in the Odense Symphony Orchestra. John Kruse has received several awards, including the Gade Award and the Holger Brusgaard Award. He studied at the Conservatory of Southern Denmark and at the Conservatory of Paris. John Kruse has made numerous recordings, including the Mozart clarinet concerto, the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets, the Nielsen clarinet concerto, the Messiaen quartet, and many others.
John Kruse was a co-founder of the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition, where he served on the jury from 1997 to 2013. He is an avid chamber musician and has premiered a number of works dedicated to him, both as a member of smaller groups and as a soloist. He has also had the privilege of performing as soloist with most of the
Danish symphony orchestras. John Kruse is Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.
Ecesu Sertesen
Member of the Jury
Ecesu Sertesen is Principal Solo Clarinetist of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, a position she has held since 2008. A graduate of the Istanbul State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, she has established an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and juror.
She has premiered and championed contemporary clarinet concertos, including works by Fazıl Say and Hasan Niyazi Tura, and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Türkiye, Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her recording of Max Bruch’s Double Concerto with violist Kyoungmin Park and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra was released by Sony Classical in 2019.
As a sought-after pedagogue, Sertesen has given masterclasses internationally and has served on the juries of numerous prestigious competitions, including the International Jacques Lancelot Clarinet Competition. She regularly appears as a featured artist at major international clarinet events and is a Global Brand Ambassador for Buffet Crampon.
Svante Wik
Member of the Jury and Pre-Jury
Svante Wik serves as Principal Clarinet of the Odense Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to his current position, he spent five years as a clarinetist with Ensemble Midtvest, one of Denmark’s few full-time chamber ensembles. His work there encompassed a wide range of chamber music repertoire and further strengthened his profile as a versatile and stylistically discerning musician.
Since 2014, Svante has also been active as a teacher of clarinet and chamber music at the Malmö Academy of Music. In addition to his regular teaching, he has given masterclasses both in Sweden and internationally. Pedagogy constitutes a central part of his musical life, and he places great value on teaching – both as a means of passing on knowledge and as a source of artistic inspiration.
Svante has furthermore served as a jury member at the Carl Nielsen International Competition in Odense on three occasions.
Maura Marinucci
Member of the Pre-Jury
Maura Marinucci is the principal clarinet of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London since September 2023, after having held the same position with the Brussels Philharmonic for the previous four years.
She is regularly invited as Guest Principal Clarinet with many orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the English National Opera, the Halle, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie (Brussels), Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo (Naples). Before that, she has played with many youth orchestras, like the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orkester, the Animato Orchestra and the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra.
She performed as soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Transilvania State Orchestra, the “Solisti Aquilani” and the Orchestra of the De Sono Foundation. In June 2025 she performed the world premiere of the double concerto “Goblin Market” by Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen with the Jazz saxophonist Emile Parisien in Paris.
She plays chamber music with many different groups, travelling across Europe with both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has performed recitals with piano in Europe, Australia and the United States. She recorded the Album “Contrasti”, released in March 2026 by Aulicus, with violinist Fabrizio Falasca and pianist Lorenzo Cossi.
She is a clarinet professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, after having been clarinet teacher in Italy, at the conservatoires of Novara and Pescara. She has also been guest clarinet professor at the King’s College London. She has given masterclasses in Italy, at the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels, the Royal Welsh College of Music, the Michigan State University, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of London, the Royal Northern College in Manchester and the Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).
She has recorded soundtracks of several films, including Wicked (2024), Wicked for Good (2025) and How to Train your Dragon (2025). She has also recorded Anthony Hopkins’ Album “Life is a Dream” (2026) and Josh Groban’s “Cinematic” (2026).
Mathias Kjøller
Member of the Pre-Jury
Mathias Kjøller won the position of Principal Clarinetist of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in 2007 at the exceptional age of just 21. From 2011 to 2013 he was Associate Principal Clarinetist of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, before returning to Aarhus, where he still holds the position. He also shares a special history with the Carl Nielsen International Competition, having won Second Prize and the Special Prize for Best Interpretation of Carl Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto in 2013.
A highly versatile musician, Mathias balances his orchestral career with a passion for chamber music and pedagogy, currently serving as a faculty member at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus.
He graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying with John Kruse and Lee Morgan. In the United States he has studied extensively with Yehuda Gilad as well as with legendary clarinetists Ricardo Morales and Charles Neidich. His extraordinary talent has earned him several honors, including the prestigious Léonie Sonning Talent Prize. As a recording artist, his solo album released on Orchid Classics has received international acclaim, with critics praising his “silky-smooth, dark” tone.
JUNIOR Jury
Junior Jury 2027
This year, the Junior Jury is made up of talented young musicians, all members of the Odense Skoleorkester (Odense School Orchestra).
The Jury was first introduced at the violin competition in 2001 as The Children’s Jury, and since then, a Junior Jury has been an integral part of every competition – bringing fresh perspectives and youthful enthusiasm to the event.
The Junior Jury will attend the semi-final and final concerts on June 9 (Nielsen’s birthday) and June 11, where they will follow the competition closely and select their own prize winner.
The Junior Jury’s work culminates on June 11 at the Award Ceremony, where they will announce and present their prize of €1,500 – celebrating talent, passion, and the joy of music!
Members of the JuniorJury 2027: To be announced
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