Jyväskylä - Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition

"It's fascinating that this kind of competition exists and it also feels artistically meaningful" Juhani Lagerspetz, the chair of the international jury 2023 (Keskisuomalainen Newspaper).

Organizer
Foundation for Music Promotion in Central Finland (Keski-Suomen musiikin edistämissäätiö sr) in partnership with the Finnish Music Campus, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, and the City of Jyväskylä; with financial help from the Rolando and Siv Pieraccini Foundation.

Location
Jyväskylä, Finland, a university town of 145 000 inhabitants 275 km north of Helsinki in the beautiful lake district of Central Finland.

Background
Ilmari Hannikainen born in Jyväskylä (1892-1955) was a Finnish composer, pianist, pedagogue and chamber musician. As the first piano professor at the Sibelius Academy he founded higher piano education in Finland. Solo piano competitions in his name have been held in Jyväskylä since 1975. In 2020 the format was changed to piano chamber music, and in 2023 participation was opened worldwide.

Venue
Hannikaissali (Hannikainen Hall) at the Finnish Music Campus. Orchestra finales will be played at Encore Concert Hall with Jyväskylä Sinfonia.

Next Competition
March 1 – 8, 2029. Registration by November 15, 2028. Cycle 3 years.

Format
Ensembles worldwide may include piano trios (piano, violin, cello), violin and piano duos, or piano duos either for four hands or two pianos. Ensemble members must be 16–35 years old. Participants qualify by video performance. Repertoire ranges from Viennese Classical Music to commissioned contemporary works. All ensembles compete through three rounds in the same category, and the concerto finales are played together with the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra. The competition is streamed live over the internet, and ensembles receive recordings of their performances.

Competition Committee
Chairman Erik T. Tawaststjerna, Professor Emeritus of piano at the Sibelius Academy is a renowned concert pianist and pedagogue, and has served on the juries of numerous international competitions, such as London, Barcelona, Vienna, New York, and many more. The other members are Tomas Djupsjöbacka, Juha Heikkinen, Risto Kyrö, and Eliisa Suni.

Jury
Jury members for 2029 have not been appointed yet. The 2026 jury was chaired by Paavali Jumppanen (Finland/Australia) with Mindaugas Bačkus (Lithuania), Johan Fröst (Sweden), Marianna Shirinyan (Denmark) and Cecilia Zilliacus (Sveden/Finland).

Prizes in 2026
1. 10 000 € donated by the Rolando and Siv Pieraccini Foundation
2. 6 000 €
3. 4 500 €
4.–6. Stipend of 1 500 € for each ensemble

1. Rilian Trio (Kanada): Daniel Dastoor, violin; David Liam Roberts, cello; Godwin Friesen, piano
2. Duo Jiayi-April (China): Jiayi Chen, violin; April Siyue Zhang, piano
3. Inara Duo (Slovenia): Ina Krajnc, piano; Klara Lužnik, piano
4.–6.
Trio E.T.A. (Germany): Elene Meipariani, violin; Till Hoffmann, piano; Nadja Reich, cello
Pianoduo K&K (Japan): Kanon Yokoyama; Kotone Yokoyama
Duo Park (South Korea): Chaelin Park, piano; Geunpyo Park, piano

Summary of 2026 Competition
The competition committee received applications from 59 ensembles representing 31 nationalities. Having duos and trios compete in the same category is a rare choice that characterizes this competition. Cohesion and the ability to play seamlessly together are the most important criteria when judging such diverse groups. Qualifying videos already showed that the technical and artistic standard of the participants was exceptionally high. Jury chairman Paavali Jumppanen opined that “the competition provided an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the young generation of chamber musicians from all over the world.” Orchestra finales with Jyväskylä Sinfonia conducted by Jaan Ots were a unique and memorable experience for participants, as was the beautiful winter weather with lots of snow.

For More Information
WFIMC-article (https://www.wfimc.org/news-media/summit-great-talents)
Foundation for Music Promotion in Central Finland (https://kesmes.fi/)
Finnish Music Campus (https://www.jamk.fi/en/contacts/finnish-music-campus)
Jyväskylä Sinfonia (https://www.jyvaskylasinfonia.fi/en)
Visit Jyväskylä Region (https://visitjyvaskyla.fi/en)
Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition 2026 Finale Concerts:
(https://www.youtube.com/live/O5dmw6t7ptE)
(https://www.youtube.com/live/CEuY7u9srvY)