Four first prizes were awarded at the 75th ARD International Music Competition. This was announced by the organizing broadcaster, Bayerischer Rundfunk, on Monday in Munich. In the final round on Sunday, percussionist Gabriel Michaud took first prize. The Frenchman also received the ARD Klassik Media Prize, which includes a media production for the ARD Mediathek and the ARD Klassik YouTube channel.

ARD Music Competition 2026, Prize Winner String Quartet

Previous winners included organist William Fielding from Great Britain, Italian bassoonist Enrico Bassi, and, in the string quartet category, the Viatores Quartet (Germany/Great Britain/Portugal/Turkey). Another prize winner from Germany was organist Julian Emanuel Becker, who took third place.

More than 180 musicians from 32 countries performed at six venues in Munich, including, for the first time, the Jesuit Church of St. Michael, the Amerika Haus, and the Literaturhaus. "In 2026, the ARD Music Competition was more present in Munich's social fabric than ever before – from the Mass at St. Michael's to a café and even a flash mob in the pedestrian zone," said artistic director Meret Forster. "This was particularly noticeable in the organ category: the organ community has been waiting for the return of the 'Queen of Instruments' for 15 years." Due to the overwhelming public interest, the upper tiers of the Herkulessaal were also opened at short notice for the final.

The prize winners will present themselves once again in concerts on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the Great Concert Hall of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, in the Prinzregententheater, and in the Herkulessaal. They will be accompanied by the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies.

All prize winners in order of the finalists:

Bassoon 1st Prize: Enrico Bassi (Italy) 2nd Prize: Jappe Dendievel (Belgium) 3rd Prize: Laure Thomas (France)

Organ 1st Prize: William Fielding (Great Britain) 2nd Prize: Alexis Grizard (France) 3rd Prize: Julian Emanuel Becker (Germany)

String Quartet 1st Prize: Viatores Quartet (Germany/Great Britain/Portugal/Turkey): Louisa Rose Staples (violin), Johannes Brzoska (violin), Miguel Erlich (viola) and Umut Sađlam (cello) (no 2nd prize awarded) 3rd Prize: Katarina String Quartet (Canada/USA): Jeanel Liang (violin), Jérôme Chiasson (violin), Celia Morin (viola), Maya Enstad (cello) 3rd Prize: Quartet Fugue (Japan): Mako Ochiai (violin), Kentaro Konishi (violin), Soichiro Kawabe (viola), Soichiro Matsutani (cello)

Drums 1st Prize: Gabriel Michaud (France) 2nd Prize: Yuan Xia (China) (only two finalists)

The ARD Music Competition has been held annually since 1952 in several disciplines and comprises a total of 21 categories. It is organized by Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting) and is considered the world's largest competition for classical music.

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