Information for participants
Terms and conditions of participation for the competition
The Third International Lied Competition "Bolko von Hochberg" is aimed at professional musicians performing in duos (singer & pianist). It will take place from May 30 to June 4, 2026, in Görlitz, Germany, and Jelenia Góra, Poland.
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Who can participate?
Professional singers and pianists of any nationality aged 20 to 40 (born between January 1, 1986 and December 31, 2006) are eligible to participate, and those aged 20 and over are eligible to participate.
Phases of the competition
After the duos register (deadline: February 28, 2026), the jury will select the participants and announce them by March 15, 2026. Between 60 and 70 duos will be selected for the competition in Görlitz. The competition takes place in three phases:
FIRST ROUND at the Kaufhaus Görlitz: May 30th, 31st and June 1st, 2026
SEMIFINAL at the Lower Silesian Philharmonic Hall in Jelenia Góra: June 3, 2026
FINALE at the Lower Silesian Philharmonic in Jelenia Góra: June 4, 2026
After the first round in Görlitz, the organizer will arrange the transfer of the semi-finalists to Jelenia Góra and their accommodation there. All phases of the competition are open to the public (free admission).
The registration deadline is February 28, 2026.
How does the registration process work and what documents are required?
To register for the competition, each of the two musicians (singer and pianist) must send a completed online registration form along with the following documents to the email address liedcompetition@gmail.com by February 28, 2026 (23:59).
Note: Musicians who have difficulty filling out the online form can fill out a PDF registration form and send it by email.
Documents to be submitted:
1. Registration via the online form. The form consists of four sections with the following information:
a. Contact details, date of birth, address and the chosen program.
b. A current short artistic biography of the singer and the pianist (max. 1,000 characters) in German or English. Please do not submit tabular biographies.
c. A link to a recent demo recording (two video recordings of a song/opera/oratorio). Please provide ONLY links to a YouTube or Vimeo platform.
2. Current, representative photos of the singer and the pianist (in good quality).
3. Scan the identity cards of both artists.
4. Proof of payment of the participation fee (€20) by both artists.
Note: Photos and scans of identity cards must be submitted separately for singers and pianists.
What is the participation fee?
Participation is at the participant's own expense. The organizers are happy to assist young musicians in finding affordable accommodation and travel arrangements to Görlitz.
The participation fee of €20 per musician (€40 per duo) must be transferred to the club's account (via a Euro account):
Ars Augusta eV
Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien
IBAN: DE54 8505 0100 0232 0503 92
BIC: WELADED1GRL
The entry fee is non-refundable. All participants can request detailed feedback from the jury at any stage of the competition.
Other conditions
By registering, the artists agree to the privacy policy regulations. We treat the artists' data with strict confidentiality and will not pass it on to third parties (agencies, festival organizers, theaters) without prior consultation with them. They also agree that their presentations may be recorded on audio and video and used for promotional and press purposes. The recordings and images will not be used for commercial purposes and can be requested by the participants afterward (free of charge).
The competition participants will be offered the opportunity to use rehearsal rooms in Görlitz and Jelenia Góra during their stay.
The organizer does not provide any music changers.
Musicians experiencing financial difficulties can request assistance from the organizer in finding accommodation in Görlitz. This involves independent rooms in the apartments of some friends of the Ars Augusta eV association in Görlitz.
Jury 2026
René Pape, bass
Alexander Schmalcz, pianist
Ewa Biegas, soprano
Romy Donath, soprano/musicologist
Grzegorz Biegas, pianist
Bartosz Żurakowski, conductor
Reinhard Seeliger, conductor
and
Eleni Müller, Artistic Director of the competition
Awards
First prize (Hedwig Prize): €6,000 sponsored by the Erika Simon Foundation
Second prize: €4,000 sponsored by the Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien
Third prize: €2,000 sponsored by Ms Anna-Matilda Fischer, Braunschweig
Special prize for the best song pianist: €1,000
Audience Award: invitation for 2026 or 2027
Prize of the Museum of Romanticism (endowed by Romy Donath): Lieder recital at the Kugelgenhaus in Dresden 2027
Orpheus Prize of the Ars Augusta eV association: Song recital in 2027 and audio recording
Special prize of the "Belle Voci" Foundation (endowed by Bartosz Żurakowski): Concert in 2027
How do you prepare the program?
General program
Each participating duo must select a program of approximately 40 minutes in length with songs from the following repertoire list.
Conditions:
1. At least two songs "spiritual"
2. At least two folk songs
3. At least one song by Schubert
4. At least one song by Brahms
5. A folk song from their own homeland (songs not on this list or special commissions are also acceptable). This point is not mandatory if the musicians cannot provide any folk songs from their homeland.
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Selection for the First Round
From this general program the participating duos must select for the First Round four songs (maximum duration 15 minutes). Between these fours songs should be:
1. At least one song by Schubert
2. At least one song "spiritual"
3. At least one folk song
The songs must be sung in the original language and from memory.
Transpositions are allowed, as is the selection of individual songs from cycles.