The 26th OSAKA International Music Competition

Christopher Hinterhuber (Pianist, Professor at Vienna National University of Music and

Performing Arts): Artistic Director

Michael Frischenschlager (Honorary President at Vienna National University of Music and

Performing Arts): Special Counselor

Yoshihiko SANO: Competition Director

Yoko KITANO: Executive Director

Objectives of the OSAKA International Music Competition:

The spirit of this competition is to find a number of artists from around the world and
help them to compete in an international setting. The OSAKA International Music
Competition is dedicated to promoting arts and culture under the banner of world peace
and mutual understanding.

Competition Categories:

Section I: Piano, Vocal Music, String, Wind

Section II: Early Music (Solo and Ensemble for Harpsichord, Period Instruments
etc.), Two Pianos, Four Hands, Duo, Ensemble, Folk Instruments,
Section III: Amateurs, Youth
 Competition Schedule:
Bangkok Regional Round:
July 3-6, 2025
MACM, College of Music, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Application Deadline: June 16, 2025

DVD Audition
Deadline: July 25, 2025
Eligibility: For contestants who are unable to take part in the regional round
above.
For the information on the DVD Audition, please refer to the following link:
[Link]
guidelines_DVD.pdf

Final Rounds:
October 4–12, 2025
See below.
Date Category Venue
Amateurs (Excellence, Senior, Silver,
Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka
Duo/Ensemble Courses)
October 4, 2025
Youth (Repertoire Course, Free Program Course:
Abeno Kumin (Ward) Center
Infant A)
Amateurs (Superior, Virtuoso, Outstanding
October 5, 2025 Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka
Courses)
Youth (Free Program Course: Junior, Infant B, C) Abeno Kumin (Ward) Center
Piano Age-U Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka
October 10, 2025
Early Music, Folk Instruments, Duo, Ensemble Abeno Kumin (Ward) Center
Piano Age-E3/H Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka
Strings Age-U/G
Abeno Kumin (Ward) Center
October 11, 2025 Woodwinds Age-U, Brass Age-U/G
Piano Age-G, Two Pianos, Four Hands Takatsuki Arts Theatre South
Vocal Music Age-J/H/Musical Course Building
Piano Age-E1/E2/J Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka
Strings Age-E1/J/H
Abeno Kumin (Ward) Center
October 12, 2025 Wind Instruments Age-J/H, Woodwinds Age-G
Strings Age-E2/E3/Harp Takatsuki Arts Theatre South
Vocal Music Age-U/G Building

The schedule/venues are subject to change without notice due to the number of participants.
GRAND FINAL=GALA CONCERT

October 13, 2025 at Takatsuki Arts Theatre South Building Torishima

Hall (Osaka)

Awards Ceremony

Section I, II
October 13, 2025 at Takatsuki Arts Theatre South Building Torishima Hall after
the Grand Final=Gala Concert

Section III
October 4, 5, 2025 at Muramatsu Recital Hall Shin-Osaka, Abeno Kumin
(Ward) Center
*Result announcement takes place at the judging venue and online on the day of
judging.

Prizes
Grand Prix: Best performer from Section I or Section II; Prize of JPY500,000,
Certificate and Trophy

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award: Second best
performer; Certificate

Osaka Governor Award: Third best performer; Certificate

< Sections I & II >

1st to 3rd Prize of each category: Certificate, Medal
Espoir Prize: Certificate

< Section III >

[Regional Round] / [Semi-finals]
Gold Prize (Eligible to enter the finals for Section III), Silver, Bronze Prizes, and others.

[Final Round]
Best Amateurs/Youth Award: Best performer in the Youth and Amateurs Categories;
Prize of JPY30,000 for Youth, JPY70,000 for Amateurs, Certificate

1st to 3rd Place: Certificate, Medal

4th to 6th Place, Certificate
Special Prizes

Circle Wind Special Award: Presented by NPO 9.11 Circle Wind Memorial Concert.

Chief Executive Award: Recommendation to play at a Gala Concert in 2026.

(participation fee waiver)

Paris Music Forum Award: Concert in Paris or Seoul.

Cap Ferret Music Festival Scholarship: Invitation to Cap Ferret Music Festival in
France.

Sawallisch Award: Invitation to academy held by Wolfgang Sawallisch Stiftung in

Germany in 2026.

IMK Prize: Perform with orchestra in Europe.

Toccoa Falls College Award: Concert at Toccoa Falls College Recital Hall in Georgia,
USA.

Matsumoto Memorial Music Guest House Award: Concert at Matsumoto Memorial

Music Guest House.

Puccini Hall Award: Concert at Osaka Hommachi Puccini Hall.

Thomas Kreuzberger Award: 500 euros a talented pianist aged 18 and under.

Osaka Mayor Award, Takatsuki Mayor Award, Journalist Award, ALSO Award,
Ongakugendai Award, Audience Award.

Opportunity to perform at Concert or Concerto concert.

※ Travel, accommodation and other costs incurred participating in seminars and concerts
must be paid by participants.
Section I
• Piano: Age-E to Age-G
• String Instruments: Age-E to G (excluding Harp)
• Wind Instruments: Age-J to G
• Vocal Music (excluding Musical Course): Age-J to G
• Harp: Junior, Senior
• Musical Course: Junior, Senior

Age categories
Age-E1: Born between April 2, 2017 and April 1, 2019 (Grade 1-2)
Age-E2: Born between April 2, 2015 and April 1, 2017 (Grade 3-4)
Age-E3: Born between April 2, 2013 and April 1, 2015 (Grade 5-6)
Age-J: Born between April 2, 2010 and April 1, 2013 (Junior High School)
Age-H: Born between April 2, 2007 and April 1, 2010 (High School)
Age-U: Born on or before April 1, 2007 and either a college or a university
undergraduate or graduate student.
Age-G: 1) Those who graduated from university or postgraduate course, and the general
public.
2) Those who wish to apply regardless of age categories.
Junior: Born between April 2, 2010 and April 1, 2019
Senior: Born before April 1, 2010

Requirements
Registration Fees

Bangkok Regional Round: All categories 3,500 Baht

Final Round: Age-E1, E2, E3 & J 21,600 Yen

Age-H 26,800 Yen
Age-U & G 29,800 Yen
Junior Musical, Harp 21,600 Yen
Senior Musical, Harp 29,800 Yen
Repertoire
* Finals: The piece should be different from the ones for the regional round. A different
movement or a piece from the same opus number is NOT permissible.
A different aria from the same opera etc. is permissible.

PIANO

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Duration *Different piece from
Repertoire ①+② Duration
the previous rounds

①A piece by J. S. Bach or an Etude A piece chosen

Age-E ②A piece chosen by the contestant. 4 min. by contestant. 5min.

A piece chosen
①A piece by J. S. Bach or an Etude
Age-J 5 min. by the 5 min.
②A piece chosen by the contestant.
contestant.

①A Fugue from J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, II A piece chosen

or An Etude from Chopin (Op. 10, Op. 25) by the
Age-H 7 min. 7 min.
②A piece chosen by the contestant. contestant.

①A Fugue from J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, II

or an Etude by Chopin, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, A piece chosen
Prokofiev or Liszt 10 min. by the 8 min.
Age-U・G
②A piece chosen by the contestant. contestant.

Notes for semi-finals: A set piece must be performed in order (①+②)

For the second piece (②), the same opus number piece as piece ①
is NOT permissible.
 String Instruments (violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar)
(*Harp has different requirements*)

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Repertoire Duration *Different piece from the previous rounds Duration

Age-E Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 5 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 5 min.

Age-J Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 6 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 6 min.

Age-H Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 7 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 7 min.

①A piece from J. S. Bach’s Sonata,

Violin Partita or Suite 10 min.
Viola ②A piece chosen by the contestant.
(①+②) A piece chosen by the contestant. 8 min.
Cello (except J. S. Bach)
Age-U・G
Contrabass Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 8 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 8 min.

Guitar Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 8 min. Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 8 min.

Notes: A set piece must be performed in order (①+②).

Cadenza cannot be omitted.
Guitar candidates are required to bring their own instrument and footrest.
Cello and Contrabass candidates are required to bring an endpin rest.

Harp *Limited to the Pedal Harp

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Repertoire Duration *Different piece from the previous rounds Duration

Junior Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 6 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 6 min.

Senior Piece(s) chosen by the contestant. 8 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 8 min.

Notes: Contestants are required to bring their own instrument including Harp.
VOCAL MUSIC

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Repertoire Duration *Different piece from the previous rounds Duration

A piece chosen by the A piece chosen by the

Age- J & H 5 min. 5 min.
contestant. contestant.

An aria chosen by the An aria chosen by the

Aria Course 5 min. 7 min.
contestant. contestant.

Age- U & G
An art song composed Art song(s) composed
Art Song Course 5 min. 7 min.
in and after 1765 in and after 1765

Notes: Age-U・G candidates are required to choose the aria or art song course.
The title of the opera etc. should be clearly noted on the application form.

Musical

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Repertoire Duration *Different piece from the previous rounds Duration

Junior 5 min. 5 min.

A musical song chosen A musical song chosen by the

by the contestant. contestant.
Senior 5 min. 7 min.

Notes: The title of the musical should be clearly noted on the application form.
WIND INSTRUMENTS Age-U & G: Woodwind Instruments and Brass
will be judged individually.

Regional Round Finals

Repertoire
Repertoire Duration *Different piece from the previous rounds Duration

Age-J・H A piece chosen by the contestant. 5 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 5 min.

Age-U・G A piece chosen by the contestant. 7 min. A piece chosen by the contestant. 7 min.

Notes: Performing with music is acceptable in the regional round.

Performing from memory is required in the final round.
♦ Grand Final=Gala Concert

Eligibility
Section I/II:
The 1st prize winner of each category

Section III:
Best Amateurs/Youth Award winner

Repertoire
- One piece chosen by the contestant. For [Age-E & J and Junior] no more
than 7 min. and for [Others], no more than 10 min.
- Section III, one piece chosen by the contestant, no more than 7 min.

Note:
The registration form for the Grand Final=Gala Concert will be notified after the
announcement of the finals result.
♦ Notes
<Section I Preliminary Round Exemption>
The following contestants are exempted from the Section I preliminary round.
• Prize winners in the 21st to 25th competitions or finalists in the 24th to 25th competitions
in Section I.
• Prize winners in the 21st to 25th competitions or finalists in the 24th to 25th competitions
in Section II.
• The 1st to 3rd prize winners in the 24th to 25th competitions in the Outstanding
Amateurs, Virtuoso, and Excellence courses in Section III.
• Prize winners of specified competitions. (Contact for further details.)
• Those who are recommended by specified organizations.

<Performance>
• If the contestant plays a specific movement(s) or excerpt(s) from a suite or variation, it
must be clearly noted on the application form.
• If contestants play more than one piece/movement, pieces/movements must be played in
the order written on the application form.
• In principle, no repeats are allowed.
• Arranged or shortened pieces are not accepted. (Accompaniment may be omitted.)
• Improvisation, prepared piano, etc. are not permissible.
• Except for unaccompanied pieces, contestants should play with a piano accompanist.
• The piece should be performed without music, except for the following categories.
Regional Round
Section I: Winds
Section II: All categories
Section III: Excellence, Superior, Junior, Senior, Silver, Infant and
Duo/Ensemble Courses
Final Round
Section II: All categories
Section III: Silver and Duo/Ensemble Courses
• The piece chosen by the contestant except the piece for the final round may not be
changed after the submission of the application form.
• The final round repertoire cannot be changed after submitting the registration form for
the final round.
• Contestants are required to bring their own accompanist. (If you need an accompanist,
apply and send a score to the office. The cost is the contestant’s responsibility.)
• Except for Piano and Harpsichord (for solo), contestants must bring their own instrument,
pedal extender/platform, footrest, etc.

<Judging Duration>
• Actual performing time may be shorter than the designated length of performance.
Depending on the schedule, the judging duration might be changed.
• If a piece is longer than the judging duration, a bell will be rung to stop the performance.
The performing time will not affect the result.
• Duration will be timed from the line marked on the stage.
<Others>
• The contestant will receive the schedule and other information approximately 10 days before
the date of each scheduled regional/final round.
• The position of the Piano lid and the position of the two pianos are controlled by the
Executive Committee.
• Photos and video/audio recordings are not permitted. A high-quality official video
recording of each contestant's performance at the regional round, made by the College of
Music, will be sent to the contestant afterward.
• The order of performances shall be decided based on an alphabetical order. The starting
letter is decided by the Executive Committee.
• Recorded media, fees, and other materials submitted are non-returnable.
• Travel, accommodation, and other costs must be paid by the contestants.
• If judging has to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions
or natural disasters, judging shall be postponed. If contestants are unable to attend the
rescheduled date, their regional/final round participation will carry over to the next
competition. Organizer shall not be liable to refund of fees.
• The contestants must obtain the necessary visas to visit Japan. If an invitation letter or any
documents are required for the visa application, the applicant must request them from the
secretariat. ¥10,000 will be charged for the visa documents.
• No inquiries about the judging procedures are permitted.
• Section III Best Amateurs Award and Best Youth Award winners are required to attend the
Grand Final=Gala Concert.
• Grand Final=Gala Concert performers must attend the awards ceremony.
• Certificates and medals can be sent to those who fail to attend the awards ceremony.
(Shipping fee will be charged.)
• All the performances, broadcasting rights, recording, filming, and photography in the
competition and concert which are related to the competition belong to the OSAKA
International Music Promotion Society. The contestant can’t claim the rights to them.
♦ Successive and the 26th Competition Jury
Bangkok Regional Round
Mahidol University College of Music Faculty

Final Rounds

Piano/Harpsichord: Christopher HINTERHUBER, Alexander MÜLLENBACH, Alexander PALEY,

Boris BEKHTEREV, Dina YOFFE, Gabriel KWOK, Genevieve MARTIGNY, Gunther
HERZFELD, Heyoung PARK, Helene BERGER, Henri BARDA, Ingomar RAINER, Janos
CEGLEDY, Johannes KROPFITSCH, Luo XIAO, Michele INNOCENTI, Michael
WLADKOWSKI, Norbert ZEILBERGER, Odile POISSON, Roland KELLER, Rafael
GUERRA, Raffi BESALYAN, Serguei MILSTEIN, Shuhua CHEN, Sylvia CHU, Teresa
LEOPOLD, Veda ZUPONCIC, Waseem KOTOUB, Xia JIANG, Xiao WU, You Ju LEE,
Zhe WEI, Aya HAMADA, Eri NAKAGAWA, Fumiko EGUCHI, Jun KANNO, Kazuko
SUMI, Mitsuko ICHIMURA, Ryoko FUKAZAWA, Shinichiro NAKANO, Tomoko
SAWALLISCH, Urara SASAKI, Yoko KITANO, and others
Strings: Leon SPIERER, Michael FRISCHENSCHLAGER, Ida HAENDEL, Albert Yue
CHENG, Andres CARDENES, Anna GUTOWSKA, Avri LEVITAN, Dae Hwan KIM,
Debbrawood SCHWARTZ, Ernst KNAVA, George BABUADZE, Gérard POULET,
Helga-Marie KNAVA, Igor PETRUSHEVSKI, Jean MOUILÈLRE, Jong-jin HONG,
John DUFFY, Mari TAMPERE-BEZRODNY, Martin STANZELEIT, Mauro IURATO,
Michael VAIMAN, Midori SEILER, Min-Jun CHO, Naomi SEILER, Nathaniel ROSEN,
Ngo Hoang LINH, Nicolas KOECKERT, Oleh KRYSA, Paris PARASCHOUDIS, Rainer
CHRISTIANSEN, Robin BONNELL, Wolfgang KLOS, Seoyoung LEE, Soon-ik LEE,
Stefan KROPFITSCH, Su-Lan HSU, William PRUNKL, Wing HO, Young-Sook YOUN,
Yuri CHRISTIANSEN, Zaza GOGUA, Marcin Tomasz SZAWELSKI, Asako
YOSHIKAWA, Atsuko YOSHINO,Ayako SHINOZAKI, Fumiaki KONO, Kazuki SAWA,
Kiyoshi SHOMURA, Takashi SHIMIZU, Yuki HYAKUTAKE, and others
Vocal Music: Claudia VISCA, Gianni KRISCAK, Jae-Moo YANG, Marcella REALE, Sun-
Sook KIM, Tsui Ping WEI, Chorlada SURIYAYOTHIN, Asako TAMURA, Chizuko
MATSUNAMI, Harumi OKADA, Kotoko SAITO, Mari MIDORIKAWA, Miwako
MATSUMOTO, Tsuyoshi MIHARA, Yasuo UZUKA, Yoichiro UCHIDA, Yoshiaki
GYOTEN, Yuko ARATA, Yuko MITANI, and others
Winds: Barbara GISLER-HAASE, Alongkorn LAOSAICHUEA, Carsten ECKERT, Christoph
MOSER, Daren ROBBINS, Hae Kyung LEE, Hans Maria KNEIHS, Jae Young BAE, Luca
BENUCCI, Mihi KIM, Sugree CHAROENSOOK, Taras DEMCHYSHYN, Hiroshi
MATSUSHIMA, Asako INOUE, Kazuo TOMIOKA, Koji OKAMURA, Kozo KAGIZAKI,
Masahiro MAEDA, Naohiro TSUKEN, Osamu KUMASHIRO, Shinichi GO, Tatsuzo
AKASAKA, Yoshiaki TAKEMOTO, and others
Journalists, Conductors and others: Narong PRANGCHAROEN, Silvain GUIGNARD, Hiroyuki
KOMIBUCHI, Ken FUKUMOTO, Kiichi YOKOYA, Nobuo NISHIOKA, Nobuya MONTA,
Takashi ASANO, Takuo IKEDA, Tokihiko UMEZU, Yuki HASEGAWA, and others

(As of Jan. 2025)

♦ Deadline for the Application for the Bangkok Regional Round
Please prepare the following items to complete the Online Application Form no later
than June 16, 2025:

A scan or photograph of a birth certificate or passport

A black & white or color photograph (3 x 4 cm)
Pay the 3,500 Baht for the registration fee of the Bangkok Regional
Round Through the payment link

♦ How to Apply & Pay

1. After clicking “Apply” The system will guide you to the Online Application Section.

2. Please fill in all information.

3. Click on “ Register ” at the end of the page, then the system will proceed you to the
Payment Section.

* You can choose to pay immediately or pay later (within 3 days) by using the link you
will be received via email you have informed in the Online Application Section.

4. You will receive confirmation mail within 5 working days to inform that you have
successfully apply for the 26th OSAKA International Music Competition.

♦ Contacting Address
Thailand: Bangkok Regional Committee, OSAKA International Music Competition
College of Music, Mahidol University
Salaya, Phuttamonthon
Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand
Phone: 02-800-2525, Ext. 3117
Fax: 02-800-2530
E-mail: [Link]@[Link]
Website: [Link]
Facebook: [Link]

Japan: OSAKA International Music Competition Secretariat

* Please enquire by e-mail. (Japanese or English)
2-3-13 Ohji-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 545-0023, JAPAN
PHONE: +81-6-6625-5931
FAX: +81-6-6625-5934
E-mail: inquiry@[Link] (for inquiry)
entry2025@[Link] (for application materials)
Website: [Link]