ZF Music Award 2026
In just a few days, the piano competition for the ZF Music Award 2026 will begin. From June 4 to 7, six multi-award-winning musicians from five nations will compete in the piano competition for the ZF Music Award.
On June 7, 2026, the ZF Art Foundation will present the ZF Music Award for the twelfth time. The award honors the outstanding achievements of highly talented pianists. Previous winners include piano virtuosos such as Herbert Schuch (2004), Alexej Gorlatch (2008), Claire Huangci (2012), Aaron Pilsan (2014), Raúl da Costa (2016), Dmytro Choni (2018), and Xiaolu Zang (2022).
From June 4 to 7, 2026, six musicians from five countries—each already the recipient of multiple awards—will rise to the challenge and compete in the piano competition for the ZF Music Award 2026: Luis Benedict Alfsmann (Germany), Jacopo Giovannini (Italy), Jooyeon Ka (South Korea), Emin Kiourktchian (Spain), Sohta Miura (Japan), and Vivien Walser (Germany).
In three competition concerts, a four-member jury will determine the prize winners of the ZF Music Award, which is endowed with €10,000, €5,000, and €3,000 for first, second, and third place. As in previous years, the jury will be chaired by Peter Vogel, Artistic Director of the ZF Music Award. Other jury members are Özgür Aydin, Prof. Yuka Imamine, and Seonghyeon Leem.
Each of the three public competition concerts focuses on a specific repertoire that demands a high level of artistry from the participants: At the first concert on Thursday, June 4, at 6:30 PM, the six young performers will present works by Johann Sebastian Bach and sonatas from the Viennese Classical period at the Münzhof in Langenargen. The second competition concert will take place on Friday, June 5, at 6:30 PM, also at the Münzhof in Langenargen. The four remaining participants will perform works of German Romanticism and a piece of contemporary music. The final concert with the three finalists will be held on Sunday, June 7, at 7:00 PM in the Ludwig-Dürr Hall at the Graf-Zeppelin-Haus in Friedrichshafen. The repertoire will include concert études—among others by Frédéric Chopin—as well as a representative work of the 19th or 20th century of the performer’s choice. Following the performances, the jury will determine the final ranking based on all three competition rounds and announce the winners.
Another special feature of the ZF Music Award: during each of the three public competition concerts, the audience can vote for their personal favorite and award a €500 Audience Prize. In addition to the curated repertoire themes that give each concert its distinct character, this audience involvement makes the piano competition an especially exciting musical event.
For 28 years now, the ZF Art Foundation and Peter Vogel have been working together to establish outstanding musical projects in the Lake Constance region. The ZF Music Award and the International Piano Festival of Young Masters not only enrich the regional cultural landscape but also offer audiences new and diverse insights into the world of piano music—at the highest level.
Admission to all three concerts is free of charge. Ticket reservation is required and available via the Reservix webshop of the ZF Art Foundation: ZF Musikpreis Ticketshop – Alle Events.
Press contact
ZF ART FOUNDATION
Löwentaler Straße 20
88046 Friedrichshafen, Germany
T +49 7541 77-7114
xhafgfgvsghat@ms.pbz