The next KlavierOlymp will take place from 1st to 4th October 2026.
Since 2003, the KlavierOlymp has offered a podium for young pianists in Bad Kissingen, Germany's most famous spa town. This year, for the 23rd time, six outstanding young talents from five nations will present themselves to an expert jury and the interested public, who will award three prizes and an audience prize. In addition, performances are guaranteed as part of the Kissinger Sommer.
The KlavierOlymp traditionally adds an autumnal encore to the Kissingen festival season on the first weekend in October. The competition was launched in 2003 and takes place for the 23nd time in 2025. The aim of the KlavierOlymp is to discover the next generation of pianists. Every year, six highly talented, promising young pianists aged 27 and under are invited to Bad Kissingen to perform a solo recital of their choice in the magnificent Rossini Hall – named after the Italian composer who was treated there in 1856 – and a joint final concert in the Max Littmann Hall, one of the best concert halls in the world. The participants have all already won competitions at home and abroad and are at the beginning of a promising career.
Three prizes are awarded by a jury of experts and one audience prize is awarded by the audience who have attended all the concerts. The successful participants in the competition can then be seen in the following year's Kissinger Sommer programme and are also supported on their career path through cooperation with other organisers and the arrangement of further performances. Names such as Behzod Abduraimov, Kit Armstrong, Kirill Gerstein, Martin Helmchen, Igor Levit, Alice Sara Ott, Herbert Schuch and Anna Vinnitskaja, who are among the former prizewinners and are now captivating audiences on stages around the world, are impressive proof that the stars of tomorrow can always be discovered here.
In October 2025, Alon Kariv won first prize from the expert jury. The 26-year-old pianist from Israel is already a master of the piano and a confident personality. His playing combines warmth, power, sensitivity, intimacy, and grand arcs. He impressed with his diversity, his range of colors, his willingness to take risks, and his intelligent program selection. Dmitry Yudin from Russia was awarded second prize. The jury was impressed by his natural musicianship and poetic creativity. Third prize went to Elia Cecino from Italy. The audience prize was awarded to Dmitry Yudin. Other pianists in the competition were Eva Gervorgyan (Armenia), Amiri Harewood (Great Britain) and Curtis Phill Hsu (USA).
The five-member jury currently consists of Thomas Ahnert (music critic "Saale-Zeitung", dramaturge and co-founder of KlavierOlymp), Manuel Brug (music critic "Die Welt"), Ulrich Hauschild (cultural manager), Sonia Simmenauer (managing director of Impresariat Simmenauer) and Alexander Steinbeis (director of Kissinger Sommer). The Piano Olympics is sponsored by the town of Bad Kissingen and co-financed by members of the Kissinger Sommer's sponsors' association. The competition is supported by the Grandhotel Kaiserhof Victoria and sponsored by the district of Lower Franconia. The next KlavierOlymp will take place from 1st to 4th October 2026.
