Jury

Sophie Cherrier
Chair of the Jury

Sophie Cherrier is an internationally acclaimed flutist trained at the Conservatoire of Nancy and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she graduated with highest honors in flute and chamber music. She joined the Ensemble intercontemporain in 1979 and has since become a leading interpreter of contemporary repertoire, premiering works by Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, and Ton-Thât Tiêt.

Her discography features major recordings of Boulez — including …explosante fixe… (Deutsche Grammophon), Mémoriale, and the Sonatine (Erato) — as well as Berio’s Sequenza I, Fedele’s Imaginary Sky-lines, Manoury’s Jupiter and La Partition du ciel et de l’Enfer, Jodlowski’s Dialog/no Dialog, and Matthias Pintscher’s Beyond (a system of passing).

A sought-after soloist, she has performed with ensembles such as the Hallé Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, and the Berlin Philharmonic.

A dedicated educator, Cherrier has taught at the Conservatoire de Paris since 1998 and leads masterclasses worldwide. She was named Chevalière des Arts et des Lettres in 2011.

András Adorján
Member of the Jury

András Adorján was born in Budapest, grew up in Copenhagen, and has lived in Munich since 1974. After earning a dental diploma in 1968, he completed his musical studies with Jean-Pierre Rampal and Aurèle Nicolet.

From 1970 to 1988 he served as principal flutist of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne, the SWF Orchestra in Baden-Baden, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. He became professor of flute in 1987 at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and taught from 1996 to 2013 at the Musikhochschule in Munich, mentoring many of today’s leading flutists.

He has recorded more than 100 albums, co-authored the 2025 Oxford University Press book on Joachim Andersen, and edited the Lexikon der Flöte (Laaber Verlag, 2009).

Adorján received the Jacob-Gade-Preis in 1968, was a laureate at the Montreux International Flute Competition, and won the Premier Grand Prix at the 1971 Concours International de Flûte de Paris.

Recognized as one of the most influential flutists of his generation, he combines a distinguished performing career with major editorial and pedagogical achievements. He is widely admired for his artistry, scholarship, and dedication to expanding the flute repertoire.

Photo by: P. Hajská, Prag 2019.

Petri Alanko
Member of the Jury

Petri Alanko gained international recognition after winning first prizes at the Kobe International Flute Competition in 1989 and the Munich ARD Competition in 1990.

He studied at the Sibelius Academy with Mikael Helasvuo and later at the Freiburg Music Academy with William Bennett and Hans-Peter Schmitz.

Alanko served as principal flutist of the Zurich Opera Orchestra (1987–88) and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1988–2010). He is currently the principal flute teacher at the Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts), where he also heads the Department of Winds, Percussion, and Harp. He is a co-founder of Finland’s new national academy for young woodwind students (Puupuhallinakatemia), launching in 2026.

His recordings include a 1993 debut solo CD with concertos by Nielsen, Ibert, and Jolivet; Dances with the Winds (1996) with Finnish flute concertos; the complete flute sonatas of J.S. Bach; and 20th-century works by Sallinen, Penderecki, and Takemitsu for Naxos. In 2009 he premiered Lotta Wennäkoski’s flute concerto Soie with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was Artistic Director of the Crusell Music Festival from 2000 to 2005.

Since 2005 Alanko has served on juries of major international flute competitions, including Munich (ARD), Kobe, Odense (Nielsen), Beijing (Nicolet), Krakow, Budapest, DIFC Holland, Kuhlau (Uelzen), Grenchen, and the Crusell competition in Uusikaupunki.

Silvia Careddu
Member of the Jury

Winner of the First Prize, unanimously and the Audience Prize at the 56th Geneva International Music Competition, Sylvia Careddu is recognized as one of the leading flutists of her generation.

She is currently Principal Flute of the Orchestra National de France and previously held the same position with the Wiener Philharmoniker, the Wiener Symphoniker and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

She is regularly invited to perform with acclaimed orchestras and chamber groups across Europe, among them the Berliner Philharmoniker, Kammerakadeie Potsdam, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Photo by: Neda Navaee

Guoliang Han
Member of the Jury

Guoliang Han is a distinguished flute professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. A leading figure in the music community, he serves as President of the Chinese Flute Association and Music Director of the International Flute Festival of China.

A graduate of both the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Boston University School of Arts, Han enjoyed a celebrated tenure as Principal Flutist of the China National Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2019. Throughout his illustrious career, he has collaborated with a wide range of world-renowned musicians across China and the international stage.

Over the past two decades, Han has also distinguished himself in the recording industry, standing as the only Chinese flutist to release productions under globally acclaimed labels such as EMI and Naxos.

Brit Halvorsen
Member of the Jury

Brit Halvorsen was born in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. She studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, with an exchange program at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon, and as a Fulbright scholar at Carnegie Mellon University with Jeanne Baxtresser.

Brit has held positions as associate principal flute in the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and as principal flute in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. Since 2013 she holds the position as principal flute in the Royal Danish Orchestra.

As a guest musician, Brit has performed with some of the most prominent Nordic orchestras, including the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to her orchestral career, Brit is an active chamber musician, and she teaches at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

Photo by: Caroline Bittencourt