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Competitions

From 7 to 13 July 2023 the Bamberg Symphony held The Mahler Competition for the seventh time. Out of 350 applicants from 57 countries, 20 candidates were invited to Bamberg, 16 male and 4 female.

Jury

• Marina Mahler (Patronesse of the Competition and Honorary Member of the Jury)
• Jakub Hrůša (Principal Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and President of the Jury)
• Thomas Hampson (America's foremost baritone)
• Barbara Hannigan (Canadian soprano and conductor)
• Juanjo Mena (principal conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival)
• Miroslav Srnka (Czech contemporary music composer)
• John Storgårds (Finnish violinist and conductor)
• Deborah Borda (president of the New York Philharmonic)
• Martin Campbell-White (artist manager at Askonas Holt)
• John Carewe (British conductor and teacher)
• Ara Guzelimian (director of the Ojai Music Festival)
• Pamela Rosenberg (former managing director of the Berlin Philharmonic)
• Mark Stringer (American conductor and teacher)
• Marcus Rudolf Axt (President and CEO of Bamberg Symphony)
• Mayra Budagjan (2nd Concertmaster at Bamberg Symphony)

Repertoire

• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7

• Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 92 in G major, Hob. I/92 "Oxford"

• Alban Berg: "Seven early songs"

• Igor Strawinsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D

• Bernd Richard Deutsch: "Con moto" for orchestra (world premiere, commissioned by the Bamberg Symphony)

From 29 June to 5 July 2020, the Bamberg Symphony held The Mahler Competition for the sixth time. From 336 applicants 12 candidates where chosen to participate in the competition in Bamberg.

Jury

•     Marina Mahler (Patronesse of the Competition and Honorary Member of the Jury)
•     Jakub Hrůša (Principal Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and President of the Jury)
•     Pamela Rosenberg (former Managing Director and CEO of the Berlin Philharmonic)
•     John Carewe (Conductor)
•     Martin Campbell-White (Consultant and Founder of Askonas Holt and President of the Mahler Foundation Santa Cruz USA)
•     Ara Guzelimian (Provost and Dean, The Juilliard School, and Artistic Director of the Ojai Music Festival)
•     Barbara Hannigan (Conductor and Singer)
•     Lahav Shani (Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director Designate of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra)
•     Juanjo Mena (Principal Conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival and Associate Conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra)
•     Mark Stringer (Professor for Orchestra Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna)
•     Miroslav Srnka (Composer)
•     Marcus Axt (Managing Director and CEO of the Bamberg Symphony)
•     Martin Timphus (Member of the Orchestral Board of Bamberg Symphony)

Repertoire

•     Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 G Major for Soprano and Orchestra
•     Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 26 E Major KV 184
•     Anton Webern: Variations for Orchestra op. 30
•     Helmut Lachenmann: "Tableau"
•     Miroslav Srnka: move 04 "Memory Full" (world premiere)

From 6 to 13 May 2016 the Bamberg Symphony held The Mahler Competition for the fifth time. Out of 381 applicants from 64 countries, 14 candidates were invited to Bamberg, 11 male and 3 female.

Jury

• Jonathan Nott, President of the Jury and former Principal Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony
• Marina Mahler, the composer’s granddaughter and Honorary Member
• Marcus Rudolf Axt, Chief Executive of the Bamberg Symphony
• Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor
• John Carewe, conductor
• Sir Neville Marriner, conductor
• Barbara Hannigan, conductor and singer
• Jörg Widmann, conductor and composer
• Deborah Borda, the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Martin Campbell-White, artist consultant
• Ara Guzelimian, the Provost and Dean of The Juilliard School
• Boris-Alexander Jusa, a member of the Bamberg Symphony.

Repertoire

• Gustav Mahler: from Symphony No. 3 in D minor
• Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 44 in E minor
• Henri Dutilleux: from the "Correspondances
• Anton Webern: 6 pieces op. 6
• Jörg Widmann: Bavarian Babylonian March (2011)

From 7 to 14 June 2013 the Bamberg Symphony held The Mahler Competition for the fourth time. Out of 407 applicants, 12 candidates were invited to Bamberg,

Jury

• Marina Mahler
• Jonathan Nott
• Markus Stenz
• John Carewe
• Rolf Wallin
• Louwrens Langevoort
• Jonathan Mills
• Albert Schmitt
• Wolfgang Fink
• Christian Dibbern

Repertoire

•     Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 D major, 1st movement and Symphony No. 6 A minor, 2nd and 3rd movement; Song of a Wayfarer; "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" from the Rückert song cycle
•     Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 92 G major Hob. I:92
•     Alban Berg: Lyrische Suite. Three Pieces for String Orchestra, 1928
•     György Ligeti: Melodies for Orchestra, 1971
•     Rolf Wallin: Act for Orchestra, 2003

The 3rd competition took place in Bamberg, Germany, from February 26 to March 7, 2010, with 12 selected candidates.

Jury

• Marina Fistoulari-Mahler (honorary juror)
• Jonathan Nott (president)
• Herbert Blomstedt
• John Carewe
• Wolfgang Fink
• Jonathan Mills
• Jan Nast
• Matthias Pintscher
• a member of the Bamberg Symphony

Repertoire

•     Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 104
•     Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4
•     Gustav Mahler: A selection from his lieder cycles
•     Matthias Pintscher: Towards Osiris
•     Anton Webern: Five pieces for orchestra, op.10
•     Jörg Widmann: Con brio

The second Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra took place in Bamberg from 23 to 28 April 2007.

Jury

• Marina Mahler (Honorary member)
• Jonathan Nott (Jury President; Principal Conductor, Bamberg Symphony)
• Herbert Blomstedt (Honorary Conductor for Life, Bamberg Symphony)
• Hans Graf (Music Director, Houston Symphony)
• Mark-Anthony Turnage (Composer)
• Paul Müller (Intendant, Bamberg Symphony)
• Rolf Beck (Intendant, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival)
• Serge Dorny (Director-General, L'Opéra National de Lyon)
• Ernest Fleischmann (Consultant)
• Peter Pastreich (Consultant)
• Christian Dibbern (Member of the Orchestra Board of the Bamberg Symphony)

The first Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra took place in Bamberg in 2004.

Jury

•  Marina Mahler (Patronesse of the Competition and Honorary Member of the Jury)
•  Jonathan Nott (Principal Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and President of the Jury)
•  Leon Botstein (Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the American Symphony Orchestra)
•  Lawrence Foster (Artistic Director of Orchestra of the Gulbenkian Foundation Lisbon)
•  Esa-Pekka Salonen (Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Los Angeles Philharmonic and Composer)
•  Magnus Lindberg (Composer)
•  Paul Müller (Managing Director and CEO of the Bamberg Symphony)
•  Ernest Fleischmann (Consultant and former Managing Director of the San Francisco Symphony)
•  Rolf Beck (Head of NDR Orchestras and Choir Hamburg and Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival)
•  Serge Dorny (General Director of L’Opéra National de Lyon)
•  Peter Pastreich (Consultant)
•  Markus Mayers (Member of the Board of the Bamberg Symphony)