The 16th Carl Bechstein National Competition for Practical School Piano Playing took place in Weimar from April 25 to 28. Florian Jungkunz, a student from Würzburg, opened the concert with a traditional folk song, for which he had already won a special prize in the previous competition. Elias Smalko and Julius Hutzler from the University of Music Würzburg also left a lasting impression. Hutzler won the round prize for the first round, while Smalko claimed the overall prize.

The competition, in which 18 school music students from all over Germany presented prepared and unprepared pieces, took place in three rounds. Skills such as "song playing" (round 1), "score and sight-reading" (round 2) and "improvisation" (round 3) had to be mastered. To specifically prepare for the competition, Prof. Tobias Usbeck offered a weekly "audition seminar", where the students received plenty of input.

The team was accompanied by a group of twelve friends who followed the competition and undertook various activities with the Würzburg candidates during the breaks. A sunny day in the park and a visit to the Franz Liszt House were on the agenda.

Julius Hutzler was able to present his Ukrainian folk song "Po Sadochku Khodzhu" at the Sunday laureate concert, representing his entire "Liedspiel" round. Elias Smalko concluded the four-day competition with his arrangement of "Africa" (Toto).

Author: Michael Domaschka