Application Information

The Carl Nielsen International Competition will take place in Odense from 4 to 11 June 2027. The clarinet competition is open to all nationalities. To be eligible, clarinettists must be under the age of 30 on the first day of the competition, meaning they must be born on or after 4 June 1997.
The deadline for submitting applications is Monday 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET (local time in Denmark).

 

Application Process

The application must be completed and submitted online via the Acceptd platform. An application fee of USD 75 must be paid by credit card. The application fee is non-refundable.

 

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 (free of copyright). The photo must 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. Each video file must be renamed using only the title of the piece (do not include the applicant’s name).
  • A short CV/biography written in English (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 Monday 1 February 2027 @ 23:59 CET (local time in Denmark).
Please note that only complete applications will be accepted.
The application fee is non-refundable.

Applicants will be notified in March 2027 whether they have been selected as one of the 24 contestants in the Carl Nielsen International Competition 2027. All communication will be sent by email and will include a deadline for accepting the invitation.

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.

 

APPLY HERE

Competition Repertoire

Pre-selection repertoire:

Applicants must submit recordings of the following three pieces with their application:

  • Stamitz, Carl: Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B-flat major – I. Allegro moderato (clarinet and piano)
  • Stravinsky, Igor: Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo – II. & III. (solo clarinet)
  • Burgmüller, Norbert: Duo for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat major, Op. 15 (clarinet and piano)

Competition Repertoire

1st ROUND
Choose a programme of approximately 25 minutes:

  1. Debussy, Claude: Première Rhapsodie, L. 116 (clarinet and piano)
  2. One work chosen from the following (clarinet and piano):
    Schumann, Clara: Three Romances, Op. 22 
    Schumann, Robert: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 
    Schumann, Robert: Three Romances, Op. 94
  3. Pape, Andy: Searching (solo clarinet)


2nd ROUND
Choose a programme of a maximum of 45 minutes:

  1. One work chosen from the following – first movement only (clarinet and piano):
    Crusell, Bernhard Henrik: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 5 – I. Allegro 
    Spohr, Louis: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 57 – I. Allegro
    Spohr, Louis: Clarinet Concerto No. 4 in E minor, WoO 20 – I. Allegro
  2. One work chosen from the following (clarinet and piano):
    Berg, Alban: Vier Stücke (Four Pieces), Op. 5 
    Françaix, Jean: Tema con Variazioni
    Penderecki, Krzysztof: Three Miniatures
  3. One work chosen from the following (clarinet and piano):
    Brahms, Johannes: Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1
    Brahms, Johannes: Clarinet Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2


3rd  ROUND / SEMIFINAL – Chamber music
Choose a programme of a maximum of 35 minutes:

  1. Weber, Carl Maria von: Clarinet Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 34 (version for clarinet and string orchestra, performed without conductor. Please note: First movement played without exposition repeat).
  2. One work chosen from the following (solo clarinet):
    Donatoni, Franco: Clair (Due pezzi per clarinetto) – I. Movement only
    Mantovani, Bruno: Bug
    Nichifor, Serban: Carnyx
    Olah, Tiberiu: Sonata for Clarinet Solo
    Saariaho, Kaija: Duft


FINAL ROUND
Perform in the following order:

  1. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 – I. Allegro
  2. Nielsen, Carl: Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57

Repertoire requirements & copyright

Performing from memory is optional. Participants are free to use sheet music for all or parts of their programme.

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.

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.

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

IMPORTANT: When uploading your application videos, you must rename each video file to include only the name of the piece you are performing. Do not include your own name in the filename.

Examples for filenames:

    • C. Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B-flat major – I Allegro moderato
    • I. Stravinsky, Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo – II & III
    • N. Burgmüller, Duo for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat major

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.

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