International Viola Competition

October 7-15, 2025, University of Music and Theatre Munich




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"There are only two things worth aiming for, good music and a clean conscience."

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Next competition

We are very pleased to announce the next competition! The 2nd International Hindemith Viola Competition will take place from October 7 to 15, 2025 at the University of Music and Theatre Munich.
Around the competition, we offer interesting programs, concerts, discussion rounds, workshops and master classes, so that we can experience many exciting, inspiring, enriching days with many great encounters in a variety of ways and with new ideas.



JURY

Photo: Harald Hoffmann

Veronika Hagen is the viola player in the famous Hagen Quartet with which she has performed over the past 40 years throughout the world.
She holds a professorship at the University Mozarteum and helds masterclasses in Paris, Madrid, Lissabon...

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Veronika Hagen
AUSTRIA

Photo: Raymond Huang


Violist Hsin-Yun Huang has forged a career by performing on international concert stages, commissioning and recording new works, and nurturing young musicians. Ms. Huang has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras in Berlin, London, Tokyo...

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Hsin-Yun Huang
TAIWAN/USA

Photo: D. Vass


Garth Knox was born in Ireland and spent his childhood in Scotland. After studying viola at the RCM, he played with most of the leading groups in London in a mixture of all repertoires, from baroque to contemporary music....

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Garth Knox
IRELAND/SCOTLAND

Photo: Josep Molina


Violist and conductor Hartmut Rohde delights the audience with his tone and musical language as well as his special commitment to the respective style. Rohde is one of the leading European violists and a founding member of the Mozart Piano Quartet, with which he received the coveted OPUS Klassik Award for the first time in 2018...

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Hartmut Rohde
GERMANY (chairman)

Photo: Duncan Smith


Born in Newark, Delaware in the USA, Paul Pesthy’s musical education began with piano lessons at the age of six, and he was introduced to the violin by his Hungarian parents four years later...

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Paul Pesthy
USA/GERMANY

Photo: Florian Kleinefenn


Geneviève Strosser is one of the most interesting viola players of today. As a soloist, she performs with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony , the Gewandhaus Leipzig , Ensemble Resonanz, NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Tokyo Symphony , La Verdi Milano, SWR, WDR, Residentie Orchester Den Haag, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg...

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Geneviève Strosser
FRANCE/SWITZERLAND

The flautist Henrik Wiese studied with Ingrid Koch-Dörnbrak and Paul Meisen. He has won prizes at the German Music Competition (1995), the international competitions in Kobe/Japan (1997), Odense/Denmark (1998) and the ARD Competition in Munich (2000)...

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Henrik Wiese
GERMANY

Photo: Max Köstler


Sonja Stibi is Professor of Music Mediation/Musikvermittlung at the University of Music and Theatre Munich, supports the development of the new Master's degree program “Music Mediation/Musikvermittlung” and contributes to the establishment of music mediation as a cross-sectional discipline at the HMTM...

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Sonja Stibi
GERMANY (semi-finals only)

Prizes 2025

1st Prize

€8.000

2nd Prize

€4.000

3rd Prize

€2.000

special prizes

Special Prize
"Walter Witte"

€1.000

Prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned piece

Special Prize

€500

Prize for the best moderation in the semi-final

Audience Award

€500

On the evening of the final, the audience will choose its winner.




Prizes from PIRASTRO GmbH

1st prize: 2x VIOLA EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD SET, 1x ROSIN EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD, 1x KorfkerRest VIOLA

2nd prize: 2x VIOLA EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD SET, 1x ROSIN EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD

3rd prize: 1x VIOLA EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD SET, 1x ROSIN EVAH PIRAZZI GOLD