Szymanowski Competition / 1st stage / violin - NOSPR

In Karol Szymanowski’s music, the violin is a symbol of friendship and love. The composer was a long-time close friend of the ingenious virtuoso Paweł Kochański, who became a professor at the New York Juilliard School after leaving Poland. Kochański inspired Szymanowski and accompanied him on his way to creating his two phenomenal violin concertos. 

Love was what Szymanowski felt for his ‘chosen people’, as he would call the Górale people of the Podhale region. It is the violin that reflects the echoes of their music best. The Karol Szymanowski competition searches for violinists who are able to express the sense of such love and friendship best. 

The Szymanowski Competition is held every 5 years in 4 performance categories: piano, violin, string quartet and voice. The fifth, special category is the composition competition, which takes place a year before the performance competition, during which the winning works will be performed.  

This event is an opportunity for outstanding young artists. A chance to give their careers momentum and pace. A chance to become an artist recognized to the world. And also, to win a high prize. The prize pool is close to €300,000! 

Admission to the competition auditions is free. Auditions are held in 2 sessions:

1st session from 10:00-13:30

2nd session from 15:30-16:30

at the Szabelski's Hall at  the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice.

Online booking via the links below is mandatory:

1st session RESERVATION

2nd session RESERVATION

Reservation of entrance tickets will be conducted until the pool of available places is exhausted. Confirmation of the allocation of tickets will be sent to the e-mail address indicated in the reservation process. Tickets will be available for pickup on the day of the event at the place indicated in the e-mail.

Please arrive in advance, in order to take seats in the hall, to ensure uninterrupted auditions.

The full schedule of the competition is available here.

Learn more about the Competition here.