ZF Music Award 2026 | 25 Years of the ZF Music Award (2001–2026)

For 25 years, the ZF Art Foundation has been recognizing exceptional young piano virtuosos with the ZF Music Award. Previous winners include internationally acclaimed pianists 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 already multi‑award‑winning musicians from five nations will rise to the challenge and compete for the ZF Music Award 2026: Luis Benedict Alfsmann (Germany), Jacopo Giovannini (Italy), Jooyeon Ka (South Korea), Emin Kiourktchian (Spain), Vivien Walser (Germany) and Maiqi Wu (China). The originally invited participant Sohta Miura (Japan) is unfortunately unable to take part due to health reasons. On June 7, 2026, the ZF Art Foundation will award the ZF Music Prize for the twelfth time.

Across three competition concerts, a four‑member jury will determine the prize winners. The ZF Music Award is endowed with €10,000, €5,000, and €3,000 for first, second, and third prize respectively. As in previous years, the jury is chaired by the artistic director of the ZF Music Award, Peter Vogel.

Each of the three public competition concerts is devoted to a prescribed repertoire, placing high artistic demands on the performers: On the first competition concert, Thursday, June 4, at 6:30 pm, the six young masters will present works by Johann Sebastian Bach and sonatas of 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. On this evening, the four remaining participants will interpret works of German Romanticism as well as a composition from contemporary classical music. The decisive final concert with the three finalists will be held on Sunday, June 7, at 7:00 pm in the Ludwig‑Dürr Hall of the Graf‑Zeppelin‑Haus in Friedrichshafen. The competition repertoire consists of concert études, including works by Frédéric Chopin, as well as a representative work of the 19th or 20th century, freely chosen. Following the final concert, the jury will determine the finalists’ rankings based on their performances across all three competition rounds and announce the prize winners.

Another particularity of the ZF Music Award is that, at each concert, the audience can choose their own personal favourite and award an Audience Award worth 500 euros in each case. In addition to the literary focus that gives each concert its specific appeal, the Audience Award makes the piano competition a particularly exciting music event for audiences, too.

The collaboration between the ZF Art Foundation and Peter Vogel now goes back 28 years already in its bid to establish exceptional music projects in the region around Lake Constance. The ZF Music Award and the International Young Masters Piano Festival not only enrich the regional musical offering, but they also provide an opportunity for the public to gain new and diverse insights into the world of music.

Download Programme (german version)

Admission: Free of charge

Advance Ticket Reservation:
Tickets will be available from May 8 via the Reservix web shop (ZF Music Award):
zf-musikpreis.reservix.de/events

Remaining tickets and uncollected reservations will be available at the box office 30 minutes before the concert begins.

Further Information:
25 Years of the ZF Music Award | ZF Art Foundation

Concerts

1st competition concert

Thursday, 4 June 2026
6.30 pm
Münzhof
Marktplatz 24
88085 Langenargen

Six selected participants will each play a work by Johann Sebastian Bach and a sonata from Viennese classical music.

Interval:
approx. 8.15 pm

Presentation of the Audience Award

Event ends:
approx. 10.15 pm

2nd competition concert

Friday, 5 June 2026
6.30 pm
Münzhof
Marktplatz 24
88085 Langenargen

The four remaining participants will play representative works of the German Romanticism period by composers such as Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. They will also be required to perform a work of the 20^th or 21^st century composed after 1970.

Interval:
approx. 8 pm

Presentation of the Audience Award

Event ends:
approx. 10 pm

Final concert

Sunday, 7 June 2026
7 pm
Graf-Zeppelin-Haus, Ludwig-Dürr-Saal
Olgastraße 20
88045 Friedrichshafen

The three finalists will play two concerto études, at least one of which must be by Frédéric Chopin, and a representative work of their choice from the 19^th or 20^th century.

Interval:
approx. 8.45 pm

Presentation of the ZF Music Award

Presentation of the Audience Award

Event ends:
approx. 10.15 pm