Registration: until July 23th 2023
International Piano competition for Amateurs
The Cologne Klavierzimmer is an international piano competition for amateurs and will take place from August 23th 2023 until August 27th 2023.
The competition is open for all piano lovers all over the world. This year we are expanding the Klavierzimmer adding two new categories: Piano Four Hands and Chamber Music Piano/Violin.
The competition is called Klavierzimmer – Piano Room – because it emphasizes the idea of the private and contrasts it with the professional musical career. It is foremost aimed at adult piano lovers, regardless of age. While you can get together with other instruments in orchestras of lovers, as a piano-playing person you sometimes remain quite alone. Here you can show the results of your practicing.
The primary goal is to share the experience of piano playing: the Klavierzimmer is conceived as a competition that allows an inspiring togetherness. It offers the opportunity to display and expand one’s skill level, to play for oneself and others, to listen, to reflect, to meet like-minded people, and to receive new thoughts in the unifying and magical power of the piano.
The competition idea is based on the great need for live music and live performances, which is the reason for a a hybrid concept. Everyone is welcome and can participate either online or with a live performance.
This brief presentation of our idea culminates in Egon Friedell’s declaration of love for dilettantism3
Only talents are original, geniuses only repeat the same truths over and over again.
According to the applicable hygiene regulations, the award winners will have a final concert either in open air form or at the competition location in the Kunigunde sound space. The concert will take place on Sunday, August 27th, 2023 at 3 p.m. and is public.
Conditions of participation
The competition is addressed to people of all ages. It is essential that you do not earn your living by playing the piano in public, in whole or in part, and that you are not a piano or violin student at a Hochschule or University.
After all, this is for the amateurs!
All participants in presence play on a beautiful Bösendorfer grand piano in the church St. Heinrich und Kunigund, Cologne-Nippes.
There is also the possibility of online participation by sending in one or more videos. A separate video may be recorded for each piece.
The videos may not be cut or edited in any way. The videos must be recorded explicitly for the Cologne Klavierzimmer. To make this clear, please place a paper with the inscription “Third Kölner Klavierzimmer” clearly visible in the camera.
The videos will be sent by email to: wettbewerb@klavierzimmer.com via wetransfer.com.
We will then upload the videos to the competition YouTube channel after judging and with your consent.
Registration on the site is open from April 1st to July 23th 2023.
Repertoire
The repertoire of the participants is free to choose. Everyone should present himself with his favorite pieces, also own compositions, from 5 to a maximum of 15 minutes. Playing from memory is welcome but not obligatory. This applies to the live performance as well as to the video recording.
The competition will be held in one round only
Jury
The jury consists of personalities from the piano world who are highly experienced in both
concert performance and pedagogy, and for whom the artistic idea of amateur music-making
occupies an important position in everyday life.
- Ana-Marija Markovina - pianist and author, Cologne
- Franz-Michael Deimling - pianist, Deputy Chairman of the State Association of Music Schools in Schleswig-Holstein
- Dunja Robotti - pianist, professor for correpetition at the Hochschule für Musik, Nuremberg
- Dietrich Schöller-Manno - conductor, violinist, teacher, Balingen
- Georg Küper - Pianist, piano teacher from Gelsenkirchen
- Paula Mutig - Artists Management IfBK, Cologne
Participation categories
The competition is aimed at piano players of all ages. There are 7 age categories.
A • 4-8 years (born 2015 and later)
B • 9-12 years (born 2011-2014)
C • 13-16 years (born 2007-20010)
D • 17-21 years (born 2002-2006)
E • 22-41 years (born 1982- 2001)
F • 42-65 years (born 1958-1981)
G • 66-99 years (born before 1957)
The participation fee is 35 Euros for categories A,B,C and D.
The participation fee is 65 Euros for categories E,F, and G.
Participants whose teachers are members of the DTKV will receive a 10% off.
Final concert
There will be a public final concert on Sunday, August 27th 2023 at 3 pm. Videos of the online participants and the final concert of the first Cologne Piano Room in August 2022 can be found at: final concert
Prizes
Prizes are awarded according:
- Outstanding
- Excellent
- Very Good
All participants will receive a diploma.
The first prize for each group will be a professional video/sound recording, which will be made freely available to the prize winners.

Invitation to the Bösendorfer piano factory
- Cost absorption for the trip to Vienna (up to max. 450 Euro)
- 2 nights in a double room
- Detailed tour of the Bösendorfer piano factory in Wiener Neustadt
- Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to play on our various grand piano models in our large selection centre.
- The date is to be fixed in coordination with Bösendorfer, redemption of the special price until the end of Dec. 2023
Further prizes: Concert participation, money prize, music score, vouchers etc.
Contact
Georg Kugler +49 178 30 72 076
Svetlana Dedova +49 17662020171 (WhatsApp)
Partner
Contact
Klavierzimmer e.V.
Gocher Strasse 19
50733 Köln, Germany
Tel.: +49 221 13 95 40 99 wettbewerb@klavierzimmer.com
Bank details
Klavierzimmer e.V.
IBAN:DE39 3705 0198 1935 8763 40
SWIFT/BIC: COLSDE33